LEWISBURG- Growing up in Greenbrier County can make someone with aspirations of being a doctor want to stick close to home and attend the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). Growing up on Lee Street, just a block away from the school? That is where the journey is eventually sure to start.
For Lewisburg native Abundance Hunt, those dreams became a reality as last weekend she graduated from WVSOM and achieved the goals she had set over the last several years.
“Graduation week held so many emotions as my friends and family gathered to celebrate our accomplishments. Now that we have moved our tassel and are all moving on to our next adventure, I feel excited for what is next,” Hunt stated.
Dr. Hunt discovered her love of medicine as a student at Greenbrier East High School as the president of HOSA (health occupation students of America).
After graduating as a Spartan, Dr. Hunt continued her academic career at WVU in Morgantown from 2015-2019. She was very active at WVU and participated in organizations such as student government, WVU’s pre-med club, and she also volunteered at WVU’s children’s hospital. On top of that, she was selected to be the director of Mountaineer Maniacs, the largest student organization on the campus of the school with over 6,000 members.
When her time in Morgantown ended, Dr. Hunt came back home to Lewisburg with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise physiology. She accepted a job at Robert C. Byrd Clinic as a medical assistant to serve and give back to the community she loves and where she grew up. She decided to start medical school at WVSOM in July of 2020.
As great as Dr. Hunt performed during her time there, she admits there were definite feelings of giving up.
“Definitely more than once,” she exclaimed.
“Medical school challenges you in more ways than you can imagine, but my support system is what got me through. My friends and family continually supported me and gave me reassurance every time I had those ‘this is too much’ feelings, and for that, I’ll always be grateful,” Dr. Hunt explained.
Dr. Hunt has always loved working with children and that is a big plus as she is headed to Roanoke, Virginia to continue her education at Carillion Children’s Hospital as a pediatric resident this summer. She volunteers for Greenbrier County 4-H, was a mentor for Greenbrier County Communities in Schools, volunteered for the only WV diabetic children’s camp, provided first aid for a local youth group–Camp Bigfoot–and she also had other numerous extracurriculars while navigating through medical school. She credits her love of pediatrics, specifically, to her community and the pediatricians she has worked with and learned from.
Now with her next journey and hour-and-a half down the road in a neighboring state, Dr. Hunt is ready to make a difference there as well.
“I am so excited to move to Roanoke next month and start as a resident with Carillion Children’s,” Hunt said.
“I’m thrilled to be training at my number one program while staying close to the friends and family that made this dream possible,” she added.
Things can always change on a whim, but as of now, Dr. Hunt’s plans are to return to Greenbrier County when she is finished in Roanoke.
“I’m excited to return home following residency. I want to continue to give back to the community that helped raise me,” she concluded.
