Please join me in supporting Berea College

One of Appalachia's greatest treasurers is Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. The school was founded in 1855, and has been tuition free and open to all races and creeds since its founding. It's hard to overstate what a college that prepares people to be teachers, artists, and medical workers and holds so much of the region's history and culture means to Appalachia. I support Berea College because I see it as a positive way of making long-term change and providing for the people and eventually helping to free the region from corporate control and corrupt politics and intentional underdevelopment.

I get lots of fundraising letters every day but the ones from Berea College always touch me because I know that they are written by real people who are trying to make the world better for all of us. Here is a recent one.

At Berea College, I’m studying English and art while weaving on a Student Craft loom, deepening my truest passions. I’d say, “Greetings from Berea College,” but I’m actually in Japan, studying abroad...

You see, when my parents’ marriage of 20-plus years ended, my mom was left to raise my siblings and me without child support or a college degree to help her earn the wages we needed. We then lost our home, but fortunately one of my aunts took us in.

During high school in Corbin, Kentucky, I had taken welding classes. Upon graduation, and with a few months of extra training, I earned my professional certifications and found a job welding full-time on U.S. Navy submarines. It was demanding work on top of daily hardships that came with being a female welder in such a male-dominated field, but I am grateful I was able to help support my family when we needed it most.

For more than two years, I worked in the construction industry, helping my mom to provide for my siblings. After a while, I ended up in Nebraska with my grandmother, caring for her in her final year of life. She was adamant about me pursuing the education she herself was not allowed to have. Together, we looked for a way to afford a four-year degree, and we found Berea College. Once again, the women in my family had each other’s backs. Even though I wish my grandma had lived to see me graduate next spring, I’m grateful for the time we got to spend together that final year. In fact, if not for her, I might have never come to Berea.

If my grandma were here, she’d thank you for giving to Berea College, for helping her granddaughter feel like the luckiest person in the world. I know she would be as grateful as I am. Once again, thank you so, so much.

Many, many thanks,

Please join me in supporting Berea College