Two weeks ago, I shared some comments from our graduates. The following are also comments provided by some of our graduating seniors that were shared at our graduation ceremony. Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for helping these young people and many more to reach this graduation milestone.

Male student from Nigeria—”OBI was different from other schools I’ve been to. There were people from around the world attending this school. I got the chance to meet people from China, South Korea, Ethiopia, Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Thailand, Germany, Brazil and many more. I love the friends that I met at OBI because I know I’m going to have them in my life forever.”

—”OBI has changed me for the best. I have learned that it is not always about me or what I want, but about giving to others. This place has shown me that no matter what, God is always with me and that He will stick with me through everything.”

Male student from Oneida—”Oneida has really helped me with my spiritual walk with the Lord. I have met a lot of great people here at Oneida. I have enjoyed learning here, and my understanding of the world has also improved thanks to the school.”

Male student from Wisconsin—”It has many times felt anything but helpful for me to be here, but I think that overall with the help of some of the house parents and teachers, I have learned to grow up and mature as a teen going into adulthood. Life is hard, and the comforting thing is that everyone here at OBI knows that fact but overcomes it in their own way.”

—”Being here was hard at times, but being able to make new friends from all around the world has been a great experience. I feel as I have made friends for life from my time at OBI and for that I am grateful.”

Male student from Lexington—”During my time at OBI, I made the decision to completely surrender my life to Christ. Throughout the four years of being here, I was able to play baseball with great friends, which brought about the opportunity to play college baseball. I was also able to accelerate in music through the help of one of my teachers and now it has become a passion.”

Male student from Ethiopia—”I have a lot of things to say about OBI, but simply, OBI is the best place to learn about people and to think about life.”

Larry Gritton is the president of Oneida Baptist Institute.