Donor Stories

LEARNING, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MENTORSHIP AND PHILANTHRHOPY

Growing up, Layla Almassalkhi '15 understood early on that education is liberatory and a key that could open doors she had not even imagined yet. Realizing that college carried both possibility and responsibility, her path through and beyond her years as a student illustrates a deep commitment to learning, growth, and development.

"Berea College provided countless ways to prepare for life after college," said Layla. "The Office of Internships & Career Development offered resources that stretched me both personally and professionally." Layla shared that one of the most formative opportunities she had at Berea was interning the summer before her senior year. "That experience opened doors I hadn't even known how to knock on before," she said. Her internship supervisor served as a mentor and an advocate, and her conversations with him, "became a classroom of their own, accelerating my learning and giving me the confidence to navigate an unfamiliar field," said Layla. She credits her internship and the mentorship she received as reasons she graduated from Berea College with a full-time offer in hand.

Knowing the value of her internship experience, Layla took action to help future Berea students secure the same types of learning opportunities. "When I began working full time, returning to Berea through recruiting felt less like a career move and more like a responsibility to extend to others the same opportunities that shaped me," said Layla.

She took the time to meet with students in classrooms, in cultural centers, and across informal spaces where real conversations could happen as students learned more about internship opportunities with her employer. Speaking in these environments, "became a space for reflection, on identity, on preparing for life after college, and on how to carry our stories into professional spaces without having to shrink them and about creating room for students to see themselves not just as future professionals, but as people whose experiences matter right now," she said.

"My hope has always been to serve as both a resource and a reminder that they belong in every room they enter, and that their contributions are not just welcomed, but needed." What felt most meaningful to Layla was working alongside two Berea interns, Victoria Blankenship '23 and Jean-Paul Nuñez '24 at her employer, also the site of her own internship, The Resource Group.

Both Victoria and Jean-Paul found their experiences interning under the guidance of Layla to be meaningful. "Layla was a fantastic project lead," said Victoria. "Seeing someone who had been in my shoes, just years before, now be in the position she was in, helped everything to feel a bit lighter and more hopeful."

Jean-Paul said, "I had a great experience." He said his internship experience and the mentorship that Layla offered helped him to leverage skills he used to secure a finance internship the following year.

Layla describes the internship program as substantive and meaningful with each intern assigned both a group project and an individual project, ensuring they contribute to real, impactful work. "These projects are designed to stretch them, to invite critical thinking, collaboration, and the kind of problem solving that leaves a lasting imprint on the organization," said Layla.

In addition to serving students of her alma mater through internship and mentoring efforts, Layla serves on the Alumni Executive Council . "That role has given me the opportunity to partner with the Alumni Philanthropy team and find creative ways to keep Bereans connected to one another and to the mission of the College," said Layla. The Alumni Philanthropy team hosted the first official alumni gathering in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2024. "Alumni spanning across decades came together, and there was an energy of shared roots and renewed connection," said Layla. "It was a reminder that the Berea experience does not end at graduation, it ripples outward, creating bonds that endure across time and place. It is our collective Berea Beloved."

She and her husband, Lars, also support the College and its students via monthly gifts to the Berea Fund as well as designating Berea College as a beneficiary of a retirement policy. Layla shared that she had not spent significant energy thinking about what would happen to her finances after her passing, but a fellow alumna introduced her to the Great Commitments Society , the College's giving club for those who have made provisions to include Berea College in their estate plans.

Learning about the Great Commitments Society, "gave me a new lens, one rooted in continuity," said Layla. "The idea that a part of what I've worked for can live on in the form of opportunity for someone else really resonated," she said. "I know what it meant to be a Berea student. I know how transformative the experience can be. Supporting Berea in this way allows me to pay forward the generosity that once shaped my life," said Layla. "It's a quiet promise that the cycle of giving, of lifting, continues."

Lars said that he gravitates toward the College's eight Great Commitments and the devotion to service, community, and equality. "By donating to Berea, we are able to continue the promise of giving and the commitment of educational opportunity for other students who were once in Layla's shoes." He also said, "Through philanthropy, I want to help create an environment where financial barriers never prevent a dedicated student from pursuing their educational goals, where diverse perspectives are celebrated, and where students feel empowered to lead with knowledge, heart and compassion."

Layla hopes their philanthropy helps future Berea students feel both supported and inspired. "Through giving, I want to ease some of the burdens students carry so they can focus fully on learning, growing, and contributing to their communities," she said. "I hope my support serves as a quiet but steady reminder that they are not alone. There are others who believe in their potential and invest in their success. If my philanthropy can help students discover their purpose, embrace the dignity of work, and go on to lead lives marked by service and integrity, then I will have honored Berea's values in the most meaningful way."