At Berea, we often talk about how education opens doors. For many of our students and alumni, those doors were once closed, locked, or hidden from view. Yet time and again, Bereans show us that when given the chance, they will find ways to not only open but stride through those doors to seize new opportunities and possibilities. Our students’ courage, talent, and tenacity carry them forward into extraordinary lives.
In this issue, you’ll read story after story of opened doors. You’ll meet Sidwell Ferguson-English ’11, who grew up with limited resources but turned the handle—applying for more than 250 jobs before finding his way into leadership at the Library of Congress. You’ll follow Melissa Benson ’11, who returned to college in her 30s to restart her career, then went on to found Camp Beacon, Kentucky’s first summer camp for LGBTQ youth. You’ll walk alongside Jonathan “JJ” Johnson ’99, who stepped into Berea unsure of his place, but soon discovered his lifelong calling to help others see the extraordinary in themselves.
Opening doors is not just a metaphor at Berea—it is our mission. From Maurice Godsey ’60 hitchhiking to Berea so he could pursue an education and meet the love of his life, to Lindsey Heuscher ’14 using Berea’s tuition-free promise to explore the world before building a career in technology, to William Gray ’76 whose openness to unexpected opportunities helped shape the tap-to-pay systems used globally today—these stories are proof that opportunity, once discovered, changes everything.
Behind each of these open doors stands a generous community—people like you. Berea’s founders set the precedent when they committed to educating “all peoples of the earth” without charging tuition. Today, your philanthropy continues that vision. Every gift ensures that a new generation of students can walk through Berea’s doors with dignity, hope, and the freedom to dream.
We see this spirit in families like the Best-Evanses, who recently donated their beloved family home back to Berea to serve future generations. We see it in the resilience of alumni like Katrin Martins ’22, whose Berea training gave her the skill and courage to step into critical-care nursing at the height of the pandemic. We see it in each of you, who invest in Berea’s mission because you believe education should never be closed off to those with limited means.
In a time when higher education faces skepticism and rising costs, Berea continues to be a beacon. Our Financial Freedom Pledge, our strong work program, our innovative academic coursework, and our commitment to a no-tuition education all open doors that might otherwise remain shut.
Thank you for being part of this community of door-openers. You make it possible for Berea students to take that first step into a brighter future. And once that door is open, Bereans do what they’ve always done—walk through with courage, and then turn around to hold it open for the
next student.
With gratitude,
Cheryl L. Nixon
President, Berea College
