Amy Cherry, Medical Student, was taught by her mother what it means to be strong, independent, and assertive. “She prepared me for becoming my own woman. From a young age, she instilled in me the value of hard work and dedication and reminded me that nothing in life is given away freely. If I want to be or do anything, I have to set my mind to in order to make it happen. She worked as a journalist before taking an instructor’s position at Western; through this lens she helped me to cultivate my critical thinking skills and encouraged me to develop strong reasoning capabilities. I couldn’t be as successful or as confident today without her precedent,” Amy says.
Amy decided to become a doctor because she wants to help others in times of need. She wants to build a career serving others and encouraging them to feel confident in their ability to understand and effectively take charge of their own health. She adds, “I am also a big science nerd, which helps.”
“My greatest accomplishment so far in my short 23 years of existence has to be becoming my own person and learning to advocate for myself. I was a very shy kid who was afraid of being in the way and being perceived negatively by others. While I’m definitely still a work in progress, I am happy to say that I am far more intrinsically motivated, and I try to make sure that my fears don’t cloud my perceptions of myself anymore.”
The best advice Amy wants to pass on is that it costs absolutely nothing to be kind. “I always try to remind myself that while people may not remember what I say, they remember how I made them feel.”
Amy’s biggest obstacle has admittedly been all of the things that happened in the past year. “My 2020 was pretty horrible: My dad passed away from a heart attack unexpectedly last January; my brother Adam was involved in a very serious car accident and had to relearn to walk; I saw the end of a long-term relationship; my sister Anna was diagnosed with a mood disorder last spring; and my brothers Alton and Alan who are in the military and moved away this summer as they enlisted in bootcamp and received orders to move to England, respectively. All of these hardships and forced changes just felt like being runover by a fifty-car train – as soon as my family learned to cope with one set-back, we were knocked down again almost immediately. With these difficulties exacerbated by full-time classes and a pandemic, I can honestly say this past year has caused me to doubt myself and my resiliency more than I ever had before. I had never felt so small and helpless. I was starting to wonder how I would ever be able to keep up with everything because I felt like I lost all control. However, I very quickly learned how many people my family and I have looking out for us. Whether it was classmates making meals for me or friends checking in on me, I learned just how valuable the people around me are, as well as the importance of supporting one another and networking with others. I can also say with confidence that I have such an appreciation for and admiration of my family. I do not know where I would be without my mother’s or siblings’ unwavering support and encouragement. Despite all that happened to my family last year, we grew closer than we had ever been before; even though we will never really feel complete again without Dad, we have all learned how important we are to each other, and for that I am grateful. ”
Amy is currently working on a research manuscript which she hopes to submit for acceptance to a journal this spring. “I am also in my last semester of classes before I get to see patients in the hospitals of Cincinnati, which is very exciting, albeit daunting.”
Upcoming projects include; this summer, she will be taking the first of her licensing exams to be a physician. “Step 1, which covers the past two years of my medical education in excruciating detail. My goal is to pass with flying colors! I would also be content on passing with walking colors, or begrudgingly crawling colors if need be.”
In her spare time, when she is not studying for seemingly endless exams, she likes to binge watch Netflix! “I also consider myself a “plant mom” to over 30 succulents around my house, some of which I’ve managed to keep alive for four years now. I also enjoy hiking, crafting, and pretending I’m a contestant on the Great British Bakeoff, though I have yet to perfect my macaron recipe. “In these pandemic times, she discovered the Great British Bake Off. “ Yelling at the TV about how some contestant is mixing their food wrong had never been so cathartic before, but now it’s almost a necessary form of stress relief.”
Amy can be contacted via Facebook. “and hopefully when I’m out of school in a million years I will have a means of being contacted professionally. “ We will keep you posted!
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