Education is Key to the Future of Eastern Kentucky


Dreama Gentry

Dreama Gentry, executive director of Partners for Education at Berea College

Dreama Gentry, executive director of Partners for Education at Berea College, recently spoke with WEKU’s Tom Martin about prominent educational challenges facing rural Appalachia and the Rural College Access and Success Summit planned for April 28-30 in Lexington, Ky. Gentry and Martin also discussed the work Partners for Education does in the region to provide college readiness programming for young students.

“We get paralyzed as a community into inaction because it often seems insurmountable to think about how we revitalize this region, but we have to do something and continue to do something,” said Gentry, when talking about the work Partners for Education does in addressing educational access in its service area.

Gentry also discussed the upcoming Rural College Access and Success Summit, hosted by Partners for Education. The Summit provides an opportunity for practitioners and people who believe in college access to highlight best practices and the unique challenges of increasing opportunities in rural America. Among the keynote speakers highlighted for this year’s Summit is John King, who served as Secretary of Education under the Obama administration.

Find out more information about the Rural College Access and Success Summit, including the full conference schedule and registration details.

Listen to the full interview with Dreama Gentry on Eastern Standard here.

Categories: News, People, Programs and Initiatives
Tags: Dreama Gentry, Partners for Education, Rural College Access and Success Summit, WEKU

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College only admits academically promising students with limited financial resources—primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia—but welcomes students from 41 states and 76 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of nine federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly to earn money for books, housing and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.