Amy Messamore was a checkout girl at a grocery store. She was a secretary at a hospital. And now she’s giving the full-time student gig a try.

After graduating from high school, the Dawson Springs sophomore moved out of her parents’ house and into a home of her own. She briefly attended Madisonville Community College before transferring to Western.

“I wanted to be on my own,” Messamore said. “I wanted freedom.”

Messamore admits that her financial situation after high school was different than most 18-year-olds.

Her uncles owned a house in Dawson Springs and allowed her to stay there rent free.

She took her first job at the grocery store to help pay the utility bills. The work Messamore found there was less than stimulating.

“Who likes working at a grocery store?” she said.

Her dissatisfaction prompted her to apply for a receptionist position at the local hospital.

“I asked all the rude questions people don’t like to answer,” Messamore said.

Despite having to constantly chart medical history, the job helped Messamore make a decision that would chart her path here at Western.

Her three and a half years at the hospital inspired her to pursue a career in health care. But when she first came to Western she was uncertain about her future.

“I can’t handle needles,” Messamore said. “But I love working in health care situations.”

She is now pursing a double major in health care administration and accounting.

The anxiety that comes with choosing a major wasn’t the only thing Messamore had to deal with when she came to Western.

Messamore left her parents and her cats in Dawson Springs. She spent her first year at Western in a dorm and was not happy with the “no pets” rule.

“I moved out of the dorm to take care of my cats,” she said. “They got depressed because I didn’t see them enough, and their hair started falling out.”

She moved her cats, Mr. Henderson and Salem, into an apartment. She couldn’t be happier with the living situation.

“They’re my life,” Messamore said. “They’re definitely interesting little boogers.”

Messamore’s love for felines isn’t just limited to the two under her roof.

“I see stray cats, and my boyfriend tells me to keep driving,” she said.

“I hope to have dogs when we (my boyfriend and I) can get a house.”

The distance between Bowling Green and Dawson Springs has made Messamore grow closer to her parents.

“My mom is a real protective mom,” she said. “She and my Dad have become very protective of me.”

Messamore’s work as a full-time student has not kept her from holding a part-time job – a task that she is familiar with. She works 15-20 hours a week at Sears and squeezes in time to relax when she can.

“I go to school,” Messamore said. “I go to work, and then I go home and take a nap.”

Reach Adriane Hardin at [email protected].