Humans of Amherst: Victory
With the 2026 Winter Olympics coming to a close, it can be easy to lose sight of the victories still around us. In the second edition of Humans of Amherst, Staff Writer Hannah Feng ’28 speaks to people in town about their own personal victories.
After two weeks of winning on the most global stage, the Olympics came to a ceremonial close. Races finished, torches were extinguished, and crowds returned home. In time, the snow will melt, and the spotlight will depart from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
But the triumphant spirit of the Olympics lingers, and it certainly doesn’t take a Peacock subscription to find it. Though everyday victory isn’t broadcast beneath stadium lights or replayed in slow motion, I’m convinced that it’s still around.
This week, I asked people around Amherst about their greatest victories.
“She came from Vietnam, and she did nails. All the time. She came here, she got into the school, we’re in Cambridge, Harvard University, and she did the cafeteria. So that would be her greatest victory. Getting away from doing nails, where it’s all chemical-smelling and everything, and she got into the food industry. So to me, that’s a huge change. Huge, huge.”
“I used to be a first responder. And I was a police officer, an EMT, and a firefighter. And also, I’m trans. So I think getting my dream job, being a disabled trans person, was pretty lovely … It was one of the best jobs.”
“Trying to get healthier. Trying to, trying to.”
“I’m just really lucky to have a lot of good friends. And a partner. At my age, I’m in my 70s, a lot of people start disappearing. And that’s really sad. But I think friendship is vital for our health, mental health, and everything. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to not have anybody see me for days and days and days and days.
I mean ... five years ago, we used to have 13 to 15 people here every Sunday. And now we have four or five. It’s a different world in some ways. When I was a kid, I learned a lot … about caring for the people around me. And I think that younger folks, a lot of them, are just focused on ‘Me, what I want, what I need.’ I was also a physical therapist in my profession, so I was working with people all the time, trying to be where I could not only make money at work but also help people.”
Pat is one of a handful of Amherst residents who gather in the northwest corner of the town common for the Amherst Peace Vigil. It’s been going on since the 1960s, and you can join them on Sundays from noon to one.
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