Berea College Experience

The chance to experience a new chapter in my life and learn more about this world and the people in it are the reasons why I chose to attend Berea College. Prior to coming to Berea, I lived my entire life in a rural town in Tennessee that was very closed-minded to the outside world. About 1% of my high-school identified as a minority race, and anyone who did not fall into the white, wealthy class status were shunned. This made Berea College’s acceptance of all people regardless of race, ethnicity, and marital preference all the more refreshing. Through my experiences being an Asian Students Union’s officer, engaging in conversations with fellow students, and studying abroad in Japan, my world-view has expanded such that I have a deeper appreciation

Living on modest earnings while providing meaningful work has taught me this and has prompted me to get involved with community services organizations such as CELTS. Through CELTS, I have been given the opportunity to give back to the community that has given so much to me. The most meaningful experiences in my life revolve around helping others, and Berea has provided me opportunities to tutor and mentor young children, provide company to the elderly at nursing homes, and assist patients at the local St. Joseph Hospital. I value these experiences because they have equipped me with the tools necessary to succeed and be a valuable member of my

My experiences at Berea College have instilled in me the qualities of empathy through community service, understanding of diverse views through my international experiences, and appreciation for the value of hard work through my labor jobs and academic majors. I came in naïve to the world and am now about to leave as a mature, well-informed member of society. This would not have been possible without Berea College’s commitment “to provide an educational opportunity for students… who have great promise and limited economic resources.” For all this, I am eternally thankful. One suggestion I have for improving the Berea College experience is to allow the students to be more independent. Sometimes, it feels like Berea College is the overly-protective mother who does not want her students fully independent. For example, housing, food, internet services, utilities, and tuition bills are all taken care of by the college. So when we graduate, most of us do not know how to be fully independent. Classes or events to teach such skills are a couple ways to alleviate this