The Berea dream
Three years ago today, I woke up on the living room floor of my furniture-less new apartment. I put on my dress that had been hanging out of my closet for a week. My sister, roommate, and I met my parents for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, where we ate way too much food and continually joked at how both tired and euphoric we were. We drove about a half mile to the on-campus chapel, where I lined up with about fifty of my classmates and walked beside a good friend so we could attend our baccalaureate ceremony, which, admittedly, I don't remember much of. I and my family were joined with some one hundred odd other students and their families, crowded in food service. My family and friends sat in the gym for a good hour and a half before it all started. I left them at half hour till and anxiously and excitedly joined 222 of my classmates, all dressed in the same black robes and caps. Before I knew it, I was walking down a tunnel consisted of faculty members, where I hugged about 20 in succession, and then I entered the wide open gymnasium, scanned the packed house, and I spotted my family and friends. And that's when it hit me: I was about to graduate from Berea College. And approximately two hours later, I was a Berea College graduate. That was three years ago today.
Fast forward to today: I'm now working at the same institution where, almost seven years ago, I began my journey as a student. From the moment I first stepped on Berea's campus as a junior in high school visiting during my spring break, I knew I had to go there! I knew I was getting into something special. I don't remember exactly when the idea of me ending up here professionally got planted into my brain; I imagine it would have been my junior year, but I just kept thinking, "I have to work here. I have to work at this college. I have to give back to a place that has given me so much." I applied for opening after opening at the college, unfortunately to no avail. I learned very quickly that while it's important to hold tight to your dreams, rarely do they come to fruition in our timing, and so I humbly and (in some instances, foolishly) worked various jobs in Lexington for the next two years. During this time, I prayed relentlessly that God would align my heart's desire to work at Berea into His plan for me. I kept looking back to Berea for any opening I was even vaguely qualified for. And then, on that slow day in my UK biology lab in July of 2014, my Berea dream had a very real possibility of coming true, when I learned of this thing called VISTA, and VISTAs were needed at...Berea College! I attacked that opportunity like my life depended on it- I was not about to let this moment slip from my grasp. And the rest, as they say, is history :)
I feel I've overused the word "dream" in this post, but working at my alma mater really is a dream come true. Coming full circle has been pretty surreal, with quite a fair share of "pinch me" moments. Even though I'm not "technically" college staff, having our front office headquartered on Berea College soil really does sweeten the deal on this whole Grow Appalachia thing. I was completely oblivious to Grow App when I was a student, and now I feel like I never shut up about it! My advice to anyone who may read this: Please don't give up on your dreams! As an addendum to that, don't ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are stupid, pointless, far-fetched, too big. Life is not a spectator sport. If you truly believe your heart's desire is to be in a certain place, or taking up the gauntlet for a particular life calling, then GO FOR IT. Even if it takes years to get there. Because, believe me, it's worth the wait!
"There are moments in all of our lives when we are compelled to ask ourselves: How far are we willing to go for what we want? How much are we willing to risk, to sacrifice, to endure? Because it's one thing to yearn for something, but quite another to find the strength to achieve it." -Dr. Henry Morgan, "Forever"
Fast forward to today: I'm now working at the same institution where, almost seven years ago, I began my journey as a student. From the moment I first stepped on Berea's campus as a junior in high school visiting during my spring break, I knew I had to go there! I knew I was getting into something special. I don't remember exactly when the idea of me ending up here professionally got planted into my brain; I imagine it would have been my junior year, but I just kept thinking, "I have to work here. I have to work at this college. I have to give back to a place that has given me so much." I applied for opening after opening at the college, unfortunately to no avail. I learned very quickly that while it's important to hold tight to your dreams, rarely do they come to fruition in our timing, and so I humbly and (in some instances, foolishly) worked various jobs in Lexington for the next two years. During this time, I prayed relentlessly that God would align my heart's desire to work at Berea into His plan for me. I kept looking back to Berea for any opening I was even vaguely qualified for. And then, on that slow day in my UK biology lab in July of 2014, my Berea dream had a very real possibility of coming true, when I learned of this thing called VISTA, and VISTAs were needed at...Berea College! I attacked that opportunity like my life depended on it- I was not about to let this moment slip from my grasp. And the rest, as they say, is history :)
I feel I've overused the word "dream" in this post, but working at my alma mater really is a dream come true. Coming full circle has been pretty surreal, with quite a fair share of "pinch me" moments. Even though I'm not "technically" college staff, having our front office headquartered on Berea College soil really does sweeten the deal on this whole Grow Appalachia thing. I was completely oblivious to Grow App when I was a student, and now I feel like I never shut up about it! My advice to anyone who may read this: Please don't give up on your dreams! As an addendum to that, don't ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are stupid, pointless, far-fetched, too big. Life is not a spectator sport. If you truly believe your heart's desire is to be in a certain place, or taking up the gauntlet for a particular life calling, then GO FOR IT. Even if it takes years to get there. Because, believe me, it's worth the wait!
"There are moments in all of our lives when we are compelled to ask ourselves: How far are we willing to go for what we want? How much are we willing to risk, to sacrifice, to endure? Because it's one thing to yearn for something, but quite another to find the strength to achieve it." -Dr. Henry Morgan, "Forever"
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| One of the first pics of campus I took as a student |
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| Pic of campus from our office, ~2 months ago |
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