We asked graduates of the class of 2001 about the challenges they face as they graduate from Berea. Their answers show that the Great Commitments of Berea College are being passed on through each generation of students.

One of 174 Berea College graduates at the College’s 146th commencement ceremony on May 27, 2001. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) served as keynote speaker, urging graduates to use their education to serve their communities.

"I have to wonder whether the world is ready for me! My education here at Berea has influenced me not to lie down and accept what the world is offering. Ask for more, take more, and do more than what is expected. "--TaKesha Jones, Birmingham, Alabama

"The biggest challenge I see us facing is to keep up with changing times. I feel very prepared for life after college. Here at Berea, I have received both an education and experience."-- Robert Poynter, Mt. Vernon, Kentucky

"Some people use their education to make our world a better place, and others use theirs to create things that would harm people. The greatest challenge I face as I graduate is deciding how I can use my education to better the lives of others. At Berea, I have learned that there is dignity in labor and service to others. I hope to return home and serve my country in the financial sector, and my education at Berea has definitely set me on the path towards this end. "--Samuel Z. Wornor, Jr., Monrovia, Liberia

"I think the biggest challenge the world faces today is teaching our children how to live in a world without hate and violence. We should teach them what Berea College teaches --'God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.' I am from a small town, and until I came to Berea, I didn’t realize that there really was a world outside of my own. My education at Berea College has enabled me to understand and appreciate people and cultures different from mine. As a future special education teacher, I want to teach my students that all people are created equally and thus, should be treated equally."--Mary Ruth Isaacs, McKee, Kentucky