Amber Dry

28 September 2022

Amber Dry Curro Aurora - 2014

 

Amber Dry approaches every day with a sense of curiosity and adventure. She has taken each opportunity that’s come her way with both hands and run with it. Be it bungee jumping off the Soweto Towers or working with patients on a daily basis, Amber puts her whole heart into the endeavour.

Amber matriculated from Curro Aurora in 2014. While she has many happy memories from her time at school, a few do stand out – such as the class rat they would take turns caring for in Mrs Wilcock’s Grade 1 class and being appointed head girl in Grade 12. Small or big, each moment has been treasured.

While at school, Amber was an enthusiastic sports person. This is something she continued after school. She played first-team team hockey for Wits University for four years and played in two Varsity Cup tournaments and four USSA (University Sports of South Africa) tournaments. Her love for hockey has not abated and she has now joined the women’s team at Old Ed's Hockey Club.

It wasn’t just hockey that took up her time at university, Amber completed her BSc in Occupational Therapy. She did her community-service year at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in 2019 and since then, she has moved into the private sector – currently working for Clayton House, a rehabilitation hospital.

Amber’s true inspiration is her patients as ‘no matter what they are going through and their circumstances, most are so determined to get their lives back.’ These patients work incredibly hard during their physical rehabilitation. She shares, ‘it is so rewarding and inspiring to receive messages from previous patients months later showing us how well they are doing and how they are doing what they love again.’

Amber is similarly optimistic about the future of South Africa. ‘Getting to work and interact with many people each day, I have come to realise that South Africa has the most incredible people. Despite many downs in the last few years, in my opinion, South Africans have still managed to celebrate and appreciate the smaller things in life. This country is filled with unbelievably talented, skilled, driven and passionate people who make the future of this country look bright.’

Amber’s plans for the future include travelling and working around the world. ‘I would love to bring my travel and work experiences back to South Africa and continue working as an occupational therapist.’ She also hopes to work for organisations such as Therapists Beyond Borders and Mercy Ships in the future.

For now, the next step? Skydiving.