Each year, the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities recognizes the accomplishments, leadership, and dedication of notable alumni. This year, Marie Cherry, Certified Peer Support Specialist, was nominated to receive the prestigious Outstanding Alumni Award.
Starting out as a Music Therapy major, Marie envisioned a life dedicated to using her creative gifts for healing others and training others to do the same. She experienced her first mental health crisis less than a year before her degree program was to be completed, which required her to step back from school multiple times before feeling well enough to return. With support from John Pedraza at RCPD, Leigh White at Olin Health Center, John Lee and Dave Novicki at the Counseling Center, and School of Music faculty, Marie was able to graduate with a general music degree. She also co-founded MSU’s student chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and participated in mental health-related student support groups organized by Olin & Counseling Center staff. Marie went on to pursue graduate study in Rehabilitation Counseling as a way to pay it all forward, though health concerns made it necessary once again to step back and focus on self-care.
Marie spent the next several years taking an active role in her emotional health, exploring different types of work, leaning on social and spiritual support, and continuing to teach and perform music at every opportunity. She is now employed at her home county’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, sharing her lived experience to support others in recovery from the impact of mental health, trauma, addiction, and grief. The knowledge, skills, resources, and networking acquired during her time at MSU have been indispensable both at work and in her personal life. Marie continues to be a passionate advocate for individuals with psychiatric and neurodivergent disabilities as she shares the wisdom and insight, she has gained in her personal journey navigating these circumstances.