Wherever she goes on the Cooper City High School campus, people know Amanda Hoy. Her bubbly personality leads the way.
“That makes me happy,” Amanda said.
Amanda, a senior, is the first student in her school’s National Honor Society with a cognitive disability.
From being shy and introverted as a freshman, her teacher says Amanda has blossomed.
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“Now? She’s like 'Miss Social Butterfly.' She talks to everybody, she’s volunteering, she’s doing this, she’s doing that, she’s all over the place,” said Anita Espana, who’s been teaching Amanda since 9th grade. “It’s great, it’s very rewarding.”
Amanda is also a cheerleader. So just by example, she has changed perceptions among her classmates and erased stereotypes about what disabled kids can do.
“Anyone can look up to someone like Amanda, and you can look up to anyone, it’s really amazing to see the change that one person can bring,” said Kayla Spennato, one of Amanda’s cheerleading teammates.
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To understand why Amanda inspires her friends, it’s helpful to know her history. She didn’t learn to speak until she was in about the fifth grade.
“She’s broken so many boundaries that I could never, ever dream of, and she’s achieved that all with just a smile,” said Erica Hoy, a 10th grader and Amanda’s sister.
Amanda has severe epilepsy. As a child, it impacted her cognitive and motor skill development. She’s been playing catch-up ever since, often with Erica nearby.
“Even though she’s older than me, I’m the big sister in our relationship, I look out for her,” Erica said. “But to hear of other people talking about her, how they’ve affected her and how she’s changed them, it’s just so heartwarming.”
“Very confident, very confident,” Amanda said when I asked her about school.
She’s confident in her abilities, even if she has trouble fully expressing herself. Amanda is a work in progress, an example of courage and resilience.
