Micah’s Story

Micah’s road to Berea College started in his small mountain hometown of Middlesboro, Kentucky, where he was raised by his elderly great-aunt on her low fixed income. In her final years, her faltering health required frequent visits to her doctors, where Micah witnessed the tenderness and professionalism of her healthcare professionals, like the physical therapists who helped her recover from two major strokes. 

“It’s a scary time for people after they have a stroke. It hits by surprise and you live the constant fear of having another one,” Micah said. “We had great doctors who explained her stroke to us, but we spent more time with the therapists and nurses. They were the ones who explained her condition over and over to make us feel better. I want to do that for others.”

And now, he will. With hard work and support like yours, Micah earned his degree in Health and Human Performance and will enter graduate school this fall to become a physical therapist. Micah will spend his time building skills to heal others, not worrying about enormous tuition debt from his time at Berea. Best of all, Micah earned the first college degree in his entire family and he plans to one day work back home, helping his fellow Appalachians.