Ever since Amani Chery started high school, her dream was to attend Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communications. Amani was born and raised in Virginia Beach where her father was stationed with the U.S. Army. Her younger self had some difficulty understanding the commitment her father had to his career in the military. Over the years, the relationship between Amani and her father has since flourished, especially when she took her first trip out of the U.S.A to visit him on deployment. Through his dedication to his career in the military, she understood and learned how important chasing after her dreams were.
Before transferring over to Temple University she was enrolled in a Community College in Virginia where she felt held back. In fact, one of her greatest accomplishments has been chasing her dreams of becoming a Temple University student and a part of the Klein College Club, F.E.T.C.H. However, there were a few hurdles she needed to overcome before making such a career move and cultural change. She referred back to when her father would deploy and make sacrifices for her dreams to come true. He continues to tell her, "This is all for you kid." Because of that she knew she couldn't stay in a situation where her dreams were limited and dad's sacrifices and hard work were for null.
On top of those personal hurdles, she always had difficulty "finding people she felt could relate to her" in Virginia Beach. Other than a couple of friends from high school, her values and beliefs hadn't aligned with the other locals of Virginia. "As a black student at Temple University I finally feel like I found people who can relate to me, that I'm a part of something I value and believe in." Since Amani moved to Philly over the summer, she's fallen in love with the City of Philadelphia and campus life. She's excited for campus life and classes to resume in person in order to soak in the full college student life experience.
"Whether you're a military dependent, a black student or struggling during this pandemic; you can't let anyone or anything hold you back, you have to do what makes you happy."