"see blue." #selfie: Amanda Hickey

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 7, 2016) — Want to get to know the people behind some of the biggest student leadership positions on campus? We did, too! That's why we've introduced "see blue." #selfie — a series on UKNow that lets student leaders from across campus tell us a little bit more about themselves and their organizations. Up this week, the 2016 president of the University of Kentucky chapter of Habitat for Humanity, Amanda Hickey!

Amanda Hickey is a junior kinesiology – exercise science major and this year's University of Kentucky Habitat for Humanity president. She loves having the opportunity to connect with people Habitat is sponsoring, hearing their stories and creating a lasting impact. She not only has a passion for impacting others, but she fearlessly takes any chance she can get to hit the slopes with her snowboard. Get to know more about Hickey in her "see blue." #selfie!  

UKNow: What is your major and what year are you?

Amanda Hickey: So, I'm a kinesiology – exercise science major. I'm a junior.

UK: Where are you from?

AH: I have lived in Lexington since the last two years of high school. I'm a military brat from all over the place. So, I was in Germany before here.

UK: How many places have you lived?

AH: I've lived in Colorado, Virginia, Kansas, Texas, California ... all over the place! Oh, and Germany!

UK: Tell me about your position in Habitat for Humanity.

AH: I'm the president and basically I try to do various things — raise money for builds, motivate people to come out and volunteer, invite people to go on the spring break trip and educate people about what we do. Habitat does more than what people see on the surface. I connect people with others we sponsor because I believe hearing their stores creates a big impact.

UK: What makes you so passionate about Habitat? 

AH: I originally started as a volunteer. I wanted to get involved in service and I didn't know much about it. The more I learn, the more I respect it. It's more than a hand out program, it's hands on. We sponsor people that are capable that need an extra boost. We work alongside them. We build them a house, they work on site with us and go to classes and it's a pay-it-forward. We help them get rid of credit card debt and pay a mortgage. We met with someone building a house now and she talked about how it's about her getting her life together with her three kids. She has lived under the poverty line. It's not only giving someone a house but giving them a new chance.

UK: What has been one your favorite builds?

AH: I did an all women's build in the fall. We were building the house for a refugee family from the Congo. It was for a single mother with a son. We were roofing and hanging with her son and goofing off. It created a cool relationship with people you would have never expected yourself to meet. It was on Russell Cave Road here in Lexington. We are affiliates of Lexington Habitat for Humanity so we fill in where they need us. We also have a UK-sponsored build.

UK: What else are you involved in?

AH: I'm also involved in Snowcats. I'm VP of that. It's more of a fun thing!

UK: After graduation, what's your plan? 

AH: Pre-physical therapy. So, I'm applying to PT school this summer. It's very nerve-wracking.

UK: When you wake up in the morning, what's the first thing you do?

AH: I have to eat first thing. I always tiptoe to the kitchen to make oatmeal so my roommates don't wake up.

UK: Who's you favorite artist?

AH: I really like David Bowie. I really like his music and he's been in a couple movies that I like.

UK: What is your spirit animal?

AH: I want to say a shark. Just because they are my favorite animal. I think they are really hardcore; I have always been interested in them.

UK: What made you decide to come to UK?

AH: GSP (Governor's Scholars Program). It sealed the deal for me. And we have a really good PT school.

UK: Do you remember your campus tour you took before coming to UK? What was one thing you remember from that?

AH: I just remember comparing it to Louisville. I just remember in Louisville I had this weird feeling that I couldn't go there. It was a foreign place. UK felt right.

UK: Which of the senses would you say is your strongest?

AH: Definitely not sight; I'm almost blind. So hopefully I have other senses that make up for that.

UK: If you could have a super power, what would it be?

AH: I think teleporting. I just want to do everything at once and I want to be everywhere at once.

UK: What's your favorite restaurant in Lexington?

AH: I like Bourbon n' Toulouse; and I think that came about after a New Orleans trip last year when I learned to love Cajun food.

UK: What chore do you hate doing?

AH: I hate cleaning the kitchen. I like cooking; I don't like cleaning up afterwards.

UK: What is your favorite season?

AH: I like winter just because that's when I can snowboard and that's my favorite thing to do. I also hate the cold though, so I like spring — when it's warmer and the flowers are coming out.

UK: When you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you do?

AH: If I have enough time I like to go running or just be outside somehow. If it's not enough time I like to read. I like Steinbeck a lot recently.

UK: What's the best gift you've ever received?

AH: What I like is experiences, so I ask for snowboarding trips. I went on a trip with my dad one year around spring break. It was a great bonding experience. He skis and I snowboard, so we do it together! It was just the thing to do in Germany since we lived near the Alps.

UK: What's the longest road trip you've taken?

AH: Besides the moves from place to place, I just took one on spring break from here to Wyoming. We stopped wherever along the way. It was the first trip without my parents. We went to Jackson Hole. We stopped in Denver just to watch the UK game along the way.

UK: What is your dream job?

AH: My dream job ... I really want to work with prosthetic patients at the military base in Germany or do PT for the U.S. snowboarding or Olympic ski team.

UK: What advice do you have for an incoming freshman?

AH: Get involved immediately. I didn't get involved until I was a sophomore and that's when I really found myself and found people with similar interests. I went on my first Snowcats trip not knowing anyone. Don't be intimidated!

"see blue." #selfies will appear every other Tuesday on UKNow. Know a student leader we should feature? Contact Rebecca Stratton at rebecca.stratton@uky.edu to nominate someone.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Stratton, rebecca.stratton@uky.edu, 859-323-2395