(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Marion General Rural Health Clinic receptionist Amber McKenzie.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Hattiesburg at Forrest General Hospital May 7, 1997.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I attended Columbia Academy.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I work as a receptionist here at the Marion General Rural Health Clinic. I check patients in and out, take their payments, answer the phone and schedule appointments.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I actually thought I was going to surgery tech at Pearl River Community College, but when I started I didn’t really like it. I started working here in admissions, but it was considered part time so I moved up to the clinic full time and have been here since.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: The interaction with the patients, meeting new people and making connections.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A: Trying to make everybody happy because I know we can’t always do that. You’re always trying to see everybody in one day and make sure everyone is happy and taken care of. But we really have a good patient base. A lot of them are friendly and really understanding.
Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?
A: To care about people. You have to care about everybody and be good to everybody so they’re good to you.
Q: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I actually said I wanted to be a meteorologist. I wanted to be on the Weather Channel.
Q: What was your first job?
A: I worked at the aftercare at Columbia Academy my senior year after school. I really liked it.
Q: Who are the people who have been most influential in your life?
A: My mom, Melette, and my papaw, Jerry. He passed away, but he was a big influence. He was also the fire chief here in Columbia before my dad, Jeff.
Q: What is your spouse’s name?
A: I’ll be getting married April 18. My fiancé is Tony Buchanan, and he is an EMT for AAA.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Raising Cane’s. I like their chicken strips, sweet tea and their Texas toast.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I want to go to Hawaii. My papaw went there, and he really liked it. I’ve always heard him tell stories about it so I really want to go one day.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I like to do laundry; I love laundry. I don’t know why. And I like to shop and spend time with my fiancé.
Q: What do you enjoy about Columbia and Marion County?
A: I’ve grown up around most of these people, and most of these people know my dad and grandparents. It’s just familiarity of it all of knowing everybody and just the small-town aspect.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: My papaw. I’d like to just catch him up on everything that he’s missed out on. It’s going to be really hard because he’s not going to be here for my wedding. I take that hard because I was close to him.
Q: If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do all day?
A: Probably book vacations. I love going on vacations. We went on a cruise back in July so that would probably be the first thing I did is book another cruise. I know I want to go back to Cozumel. I really liked it there. I want to do an Alaskan cruise. My fiancé and I have always said we want to go see the Northern Lights so that’s on our bucket list.
Q: What moment in your life has had the biggest impact on who you are today?
A: When I was in the surgery tech program and that didn’t work out because I just knew that was what I was going to do. I had to change things up, and it’s made me who I am today at the clinic. It helped me find my path.
Q: What is one thing you want to do that you’ve never tried?
A: I want to get on an airplane. I want to fly, but I’m scared to death to fly. When I got on the cruise ship, that was a big deal and I slightly panicked when we were debarking. I was watching us get further and further from the land, and I wondered if I could do it for seven days.
Q: Using one word for each, what are your top three morals?
A: Honesty, integrity and loyalty.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As an honestly good, caring person.
— Joshua Campbell
