Liza Cherney has succeeded in not letting the injuries she suffered from one of the Boston Marathon explosions derail plans that were in the making prior to the attack last April 15.
Cherney was able to recuperate from her injuries and return to campus last May, joining her MBA classmates for graduation. She served as the Carroll School of Management graduate programs student representative during Commencement Exercises, walking unassisted to the Alumni Stadium stage while she received a standing ovation.
Since then, she has stuck to her original plans and moved back to her home state of California, taking a job in the financial services sector and continuing to rehab from her injuries.
“As to the events of the Boston Marathon bombing, they will forever have impacted my life, but I am not letting them define me,” Cherney told the Chronicle. “I am still doing physical therapy and have found good doctors out here as well. I do cycle classes multiple times every week and am feeling strong and fit.”
Since earning her MBA and starting her new job, Cherney has traveled to Zurich and New York City for work and earned certifications required for her career in the securities industry.
“I am doing really well out in California,” Cherney said. “While I miss all the great people who I met in Boston, my life in San Francisco is pretty fantastic.”
Cherney, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Southern California, was recently invited to speak at her alma mater.
“One of my main points was about my incredible experience at the Carroll School of Management,” said Cherney.
She remains grateful to her classmates and Carroll School staff and faculty, the medical personnel who cared for her, as well as the many strangers who offered her their thoughts and prayers.
“The support of the Boston community has been amazing,” Cherney said.
Read the next story in our 'BC & the Boston Marathon: One Year Later" series here