222Leadership A CONVERSATION WITH Q: What has kept you connected to Harding in recent years? A: Through the years, we’ve enjoyed working with different recruiters and helping to connect Harding to kids in our area. We love opening our home for events, and since we love a good party—we like to invite everyone we can fit into our house. The more the merrier. I’m a mom of four teenagers, and I love teens! I love all young people, but folks between 1319 are just my heart. It’s funny because as my children grow, I just fall more in love with each age group they bring home. Honestly, the young people of today are so earnest in their desire to help others and so creative in their ways of imagining solutions, that it inspires me! Q: Can you share about your journey in becoming a pediatrician and how your faith has inspired your career choices? A: I always knew I wanted to work with children. I tried to keep my options open, so I took the DAT, the MCAT and the optometry exam my senior year. I even interviewed with different schools, but ultimately, I really wanted to practice medicine. I graduated in May, married in July, moved to Jackson and started med school in August—not ideal, but it worked for us. Clint taught and coached while I studied—not sure who worked harder. We went on a mission trip to Belize with a church from Broken Arrow after my first year, and it was on that trip that Clint decided to go into dentistry. We have both tried to integrate our faith into every step of our pathway, sometimes better than other times. While in med school, we were active at church, hosted a small group and tutored at a children’s home, despite the immense pressures on us at the time. God has given us beautiful opportunities at each step of the way to use our gifts, gain more experience and learn from others. The older I get, the more I realize the most impactful way to minister to anyone is just to see them, seek to understand them, listen to them, and let them know they are loved. It’s all about relationships. I wish I had learned earlier to care less about fixing what I think is broken and more about just listening to the person in front of me. Q: How do you think your experiences on the boards of nonprofits will add to your contributions to the Harding board? A: I know I have so much to learn when it comes to higher ed and serving Harding, and I can’t wait to soak up as much knowledge as I can. I hope my past experience will be of benefit, whether it’s fundraising, considering policy implications, assessing risk, and most importantly, looking towards the future of an organization. I always say, there’s no such thing as neutral. You’re either growing, or you’re taking steps backwards, but no one has the option of just sitting still. The world is moving faster than ever, and there’s work to be done for the Kingdom. I hope my current work with Hope Rising and the Science of Hope will also provide an opportunity to use what we know to help those on our campus and those we will serve. We need it more than ever. Q: Where do you see opportunities for Harding to excel and make a positive impact? A: I think everyone who has come before me and everyone on the present campus has placed Harding in a position to serve a hurting world. Our nation, our world, has never needed what Harding has to offer more. People are lost, people are hurting and people are hopeless. We have the answers for so many of the questions that are being asked. The hope we have within us is the antidote to the despair many face. It’s exciting to imagine the many ways Harding can play a role in the future. I love the quote by Abraham Kuyper, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Whether students are studying art, history, math, science, education, all domains of our creation have been made for His glory, and our students are equipped to make such an impact in every realm of the world! Dr. Amy Emerson A pediatrician in Oklahoma and Harding graduate, Dr. Amy Emerson was appointed to the Harding Board of Trustees in fall 2023
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