APPALACHIAN STUDENT THANKS DONORS FOR CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF HER LIFE

An only child from a small Appalachian town in Tennessee near the North Carolina border, Patience '22 demonstrated dedication, perseverance and a strong work ethic throughout her journey leading to Berea College. Raised by her grandmother and great grandfather in Tellico Plains, she was encouraged to make effective use of the educational resources available to support her academic, social and emotional development.

"I participated in my local Upward Bound program year round from the summer before my freshman year of high school until the summer before my freshman year of college," said Patience. Upward Bound is a federally funded college preparation program serving low-income and first-generation students. "My Upward Bound memories were the light of my high school experience and assisted me in preparing for the transition to Berea," said Patience. Via the program, she toured Berea College twice and visited two dozen other colleges. "Berea students talked to us about their Berea experiences, and it was just so personal and genuine. I was like, 'This is it,'" said Patience. She credits her experience with this program and the guidance of her Upward Bound director with helping her find Berea College.

Patience's dedication, perseverance and strong work ethic have continued throughout her Berea experience. She has immersed herself in her labor positions, an internship and a study abroad experience, which have all formed her desire to pursue a future in sociology and helping other promising students with backgrounds similar to hers as they pursue higher education.

Her labor positions include working as a facilities assistant and a summer associate at the Forestry Outreach Center. She has served as an office coordinator and a teaching assistant in the sociology department during the second half of her college journey. Patience credits the labor program with helping her be more introspective as a student and develop valuable relationships with mentors. She credits Dr. Andrea Woodward and Dr. Jill Bouma as mentors who have encouraged her to see her strengths, given her opportunities to share her research or curiosities, and connected her with other resources. They also encouraged her to find an internship and study abroad opportunity while providing guidance in these areas.

Patience participated in a paid internship at Life Adventure Center as a seasonal program facilitator in Versailles, Kentucky, where she led outdoor experiential education to emphasize team-building initiatives and assist attendees in building resilience and incorporating trauma-informed care. "I found so much joy in that job," said Patience. "I had never worked with so many diverse age groups before, and I was never sure about what age group I would like to work with in the future." Patience learned that she loves working with high school students and plans to work in this area after graduation.

Berea College also afforded her the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica. There she studied biodiversity, agriculture and economic development under the guidance of Dr. Sean Clark and Dr. Volker Grzimek. The opportunity included various lectures, touring local high schools and agricultural universities as well as various farms, in addition to exploring the land via boat tours, hiking and more. Daily reflective journals and a final essay were a significant portion of the study abroad experience as well. "Seeing all the biodiversity was amazing," she said, and she enjoyed "comparing the biodiversity and the culture to Appalachia."

Graduating from Berea in December, Patience is in the interview process with a junior boarding school that offers Montessori-style education to its community of students. "I see this as my ideal first step into the world after Berea," said Patience. "I know I will eventually make my way towards graduate school as well, although I want to gain some field experience before I set my eyes on a specific degree of interest."

Patience knows that her Berea experience is changing not only her trajectory, but also that of her family's trajectory. "I studied abroad, I did an internship, and I'm going to be graduating completely debt free," said Patience. "Not many people can say that, especially getting a degree from such an esteemed college."

"I spent my childhood in poverty and fearing debt, and I did not want those fears to obstruct my aspirations to receive a high-quality education and enriching college experience," said Patience.

She notes that support of donors has allowed her to invest in her ambitions without the weight of educational debt burdening her after graduation. "I would not have been able to engage in opportunities that transformed me into a more well-rounded student had it not been for Berea's ability to uphold its no-tuition promise," said Patience. "Thank you for investing in Berea students who have been yearning for a life beyond their roots but were not sure how they would pull themselves up from the dirt."