By Alexa of Mountain Voice
Discover how growing up in Appalachia shaped my understanding of belonging, resilience, and community, and why home is about people more than place.
Home Is More Than a Place
When people hear the word Appalachia, they often picture mountains, winding roads, and small towns. While those images are certainly part of the region, they are not what first comes to mind for me.
I think about family dinners, creek adventures (“crik,” if you ask the locals), my great-grandmother’s garden, and the people who taught me what it means to care for others. Before taking my Global and Appalachian Justice course, I had never stopped to consider just how much Appalachia shaped my sense of belonging. Looking back, I realize that many of the values I carry every day were formed by the people and communities around me.
Belonging Is Built Through Relationships
One question I’ve wrestled with for years is, “Where is home?”
I grew up in Romney, West Virginia, and now attend college in Kentucky. Both places are part of Appalachia, but neither location alone defines who I am.
Instead, my sense of belonging comes from the people who have loved and supported me. My mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, siblings, friends, and mentors have all shaped my understanding of community.
Growing up, community wasn’t something anyone sat down and defined for me. It was simply something I experienced.
Some of my favorite memories include:
Racing my siblings to the “crik.”
Watching my great-grandmother tend her garden while sharing stories about her life.
Learning family recipes from my grandmother.
Seeing my mother work tirelessly to provide for our family.
Those moments taught me that community is built through love, care, and consistently showing up for one another.
The Strength of Appalachian Communities
One of the things I admire most about Appalachia is its resilience.
Throughout this course, I’ve learned more about the challenges Appalachian communities have faced, including poverty, environmental injustice, economic hardship, and harmful stereotypes. Yet despite these obstacles, one thing continues to stand out: people take care of each other. Whether someone is grieving, celebrating, or needs a helping hand, neighbors often step in without hesitation.
I’ve experienced that support firsthand. When I arrived at Berea College, I found another community that welcomed me exactly as I was. I didn’t feel pressure to become someone different to fit in. Instead, I felt accepted, encouraged, and valued. That experience helped me realize something important:
Belonging isn’t tied to one location. It’s found wherever people genuinely care about your well-being.
Challenging the Story People Tell About Appalachia
Too often, Appalachia is defined by stereotypes.
Many people focus only on poverty, addiction, and economic struggle, overlooking the region’s rich history, culture, resilience, and generosity. This course has challenged me to listen more closely to people’s lived experiences rather than accept simplified narratives.
That idea reminds me of Patty Krawec’s words in Becoming Kin:
“What the new world will look like will depend on what our roots sink into, wrap around, and bring to the surface” (14).
For me, those roots are my family, my upbringing, and the communities that have shaped who I am. They continue to guide my values of kindness, resilience, compassion, and belonging.
Appalachia and Global Justice
One lesson I’ve taken away from this class is that Appalachian justice doesn’t exist in isolation. Communities around the world face different struggles, but many share similar challenges related to inequality, environmental issues, access to resources, and the search for belonging.
Learning about these connections has changed how I think about justice. Caring for others shouldn’t stop at the boundaries of our own hometowns. The values I learned growing up in Appalachia, supporting neighbors, listening to people’s stories, and showing compassion, can extend far beyond my own community.
As someone pursuing a career in nursing, this lesson feels especially meaningful. Being a nurse isn’t just about treating illness. It’s about making people feel seen, heard, and cared for during some of the hardest moments of their lives. Appalachia has already shaped the kind of healthcare professional I hope to become.
Final Thoughts
The more I reflect on my experiences, the more I realize that Appalachia has shaped my understanding of belonging in ways I never fully recognized before. It taught me that community grows through relationships, resilience, and storytelling. It showed me that home is not simply where you’re born, it is where people love you, encourage you, and help you grow. No matter where life takes me, my Appalachian roots will always remind me to build communities where others feel welcome, supported, and truly belong.
What does “home” mean to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your own story in the comments and reflect on the people and places that have shaped your sense of belonging.
Works Cited
Krawec, Patty. 2022. Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future. Broadleaf Books