From Life-Changing Diagnosis to MCTC Student of the Month

Amelia “Ami” Lybarger, a student at the Montgomery Campus of Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC) has been named Student of the Month for April 2021.

The road to this honor hasn’t been an easy one for Lybarger, but anyone who has met this extraordinary student would never be surprised to hear that she is receiving this recognition.

Lybarger made the decision to return to college after a life-changing cancer diagnosis in 2018.

“Ami’s story astonished me,” says Campus Success Coach Sierra O’Cull. “She has not had an easy life growing up and wants to use her education to gain a career providing valuable mental health services to children who grow up in the foster care system as she did.”

Lybarger knows firsthand how difficult the foster care system can be for some, having been placed in over twenty homes in six years at a young age.   

“I want these kids to know that overcoming adversity is something anyone can achieve,” she comments. “If you keep the right mindset and attitude, you can overcome anything.”

This attitude and resilience has helped Ami earn a 3.9 GPA while at MCTC and also kept her on track during the recent ice storm when she lost power for nine straight days.

“Ami never lost a beat and kept me and her instructors up to date with her progress on coursework and status of her power,” says O’Cull.

O’Cull also remarks about another hidden talent she’s discovered from the Student of the Month. “I am also currently reading Ami’s unpublished book and am blown away with her gift of storytelling.”

When asked about advice to give anyone thinking about going back to school, Lybarger had this to say, “No matter what life brings you, everyone stumbles and falls, but always remember that nobody counts how many times you fall, they count how many times you get back up. I have lived my life by this code, and it's the only thing that has never failed me.”

Lybarger is set to complete her associate's degree in December of 2021 and plans to continue her education in Psychology at Morehead State University.

We look forward to seeing…and reading more about Ami’s futures successes.

To learn more about MCTC visit maysville.kctcs.edu.