Knowledge and opportunity
For Caleb Bloodworth, education
becomes truly meaningful when it is shared.
As student director of the English
as a Second Language (ESL) initiative administered by Berry’s Latin American
and Caribbean Studies program, Caleb used language skills he developed as a
Spanish major to connect with local Hispanic residents – sharing his knowledge
in order to improve their livelihood.
“It’s important to pass on what we
learn so we don’t just take our education for granted,” he stated. “As a
scholarship recipient at Berry, I feel really grateful for the opportunity to
study and work here.”
The ESL program provided the
perfect outlet for Caleb’s ideals. Initially starting out as an instructor, he eventually
found himself working behind the scenes as the coordinator for other Berry
students volunteering as ESL teachers and childcare workers. Managing a program
with 30 student volunteers and more than 100 community participants is
certainly not easy for a busy college student, but the changes he witnessed in
the lives of teachers and pupils alike made it all worthwhile.
Caleb’s future plans include
graduate school at the University of California, Davis, where he will pursue a
master’s degree in Hispanic linguistics, and a continued commitment to sowing
seeds of opportunity where none before had been planted. He’s been given a gift
that will multiply as it is shared with others and knows that none of it would
be possible without the generosity of Berry donors.
Written by Alyssa
Hollingsworth
Student Editorial
Assistant