In Berea College’s department of Technology and Applied Design (TAD), Izabel ’21 is already designing the future she wishes to build for herself, her family, and her Latin community back home in Lexington, Kentucky.

As the first in her family to complete high school—let alone go to college—Izabel plans to attend graduate school for architecture or graphic design. For now, she is making the most of Berea’s learning opportunities. In Berea’s TAD program, Izabel has earned professional certifications for high-tech machinery like laser cutters and 3D printers, and also learned computer-aided design software along with conventional power tools. Izabel further hones her skills in our Woods Lab, where she assists novice students with their fabrication projects.

Izabel says, “I had a lot of retail experience coming in, but what I’m doing now is teaching me what I’ll need for my actual career. Interacting with different kinds of people is very important for the places and projects I want to work when I graduate.”

Now, with only a year until her Berea graduation, Izabel is looking forward to building a future that she and her family will look to for security and inspiration:

“I am breaking that cycle of generations, and I am also doing this to make my dad proud,” she said. “He struggled a lot for us. He sees it as we’ve also struggled with him and he doesn’t want us to have to keep struggling with low-paying jobs. He wants us to have good careers. With what I’m learning here at Berea, I’m going to make that dream be the truth.”

By SAM MILLIGAN