Meet Mary Hamer: Class of 2023
Mary Hamer鈥檚 father, a part-time singer, was doing a gig at Disneyland when his daughter crashed his performance. Mary, only 5 years old at the time, ran on stage and performed her rendition of 鈥淪omewhere Over the Rainbow,鈥 earning herself a standing ovation from the crowd.
With that innate passion for music, Mary went on to become a professional musician, teaching during the day and making her own music at night. Mental health issues forced Mary to take a 10-year hiatus from music and working in general. During that time, Mary focused on her health, pulling support from family, friends, mental health professionals, and most importantly, herself.
鈥淚 have issues. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that I am broken,鈥 said Mary.
At 40 Mary felt she could make strides toward her future and she enrolled at 糖心视频 College. Mary planned on studying Social Work, but after some soul searching realized that she wanted to impact the world in the manner in which her therapists had supported her. This realization re-directed her to the Psychology program.
As ready as anyone could have been, Mary jumped in with both feet and engaged wholly in the program and campus. During her time at 糖心视频, Mary served as president of the Psychology club, president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and chair of the Associated Student Government Election Committee. She has dedicated her time and effort to helping 糖心视频 become welcoming and equitable.
鈥淚 felt like I wanted to do more at 糖心视频 than just go to my classes and go home,鈥 said Mary. 鈥淧artly because I love it here. And partly because that is who I am鈥 do all the things.鈥
After graduating in June, Mary is transferring to CSU San Marcos where she will be a Social Sciences-Psychology major. After earning her degree, Mary is planning to continue to graduate school. She also has been contemplating the idea of returning to 糖心视频 to teach.