Professor Jung

Amelia, come in," Professor Jung Sung Ah said as she ushered Amy towards her office. "Sorry I couldn't attend your party. I had promised to watch over my grandkids while my daughter was out of town. I hope I didn't miss much" Amy understood the sarcasm in Professor Jung's last statement.

"Well, mom made an announcement about me working here," Amy sighed.

"And you're unhappy because?" Professor Jung went straight to the point. For Amy, Professor Jung had been more motherly to her than her mom.

"Because Dr. Cha offered me a position," Amy finally let out. "He was adamant about wanting me to work at GHO as the head pediatric neurosurgeon in Korea.

"Professor Neil told me" Professor Jung smiled. "That old geezer won't stop talking about it."

"What do you think? Should I accept it? Amy whispered.

"Should you?" Professor Jung asked Amy the same question.

"I want to, Professor, I really do, but I want to be able to breathe. I want to be able to live my life. I want to be able to attend parties, search for a hobby, or do something I normally wouldn't do. I want my life to slow down a little." Amy started crying.

Amy continued, "I want to be a successful pediatric- neurosurgeon, and I know working at GHO would open me to opportunities I won't be able to get if I stay here. But, I have done nothing but work for the last four years. I had to spend the holidays on scrubs. For what? for old entitled old age men to mock me and boss me around."

"My dear," Professor Jung said as she held Amy's hand. "You are a successful pediatric neurosurgeon—one of the best, actually. Never discredit yourself. You got into this hectic world at a very young age; I saw you read books after books while kids your age get wasted. Amelia, you have all these titles under your name because you worked hard for it. It's time for you to reap what you sow."

"Huh?" Amy didn't get what her wise Professor was telling her.

"Amelia, I'm saying that you don't need to be at Harvard if you don't want to or be working at GHO if you don't want to. You don't need them, Amelia; they need you." Professor Jung said with conviction.

"You don't have to give up success in order to be happy or give up happiness to be successful. You can have both." Professor Jung held Amy's hand tightly.

"How?" Amy asked.

"By making boundaries." Professor Jung told Amy. "Honestly, I saw the job description, you can already guess who showed it to me, and there's no way I would let you accept such labor."

'Is Professor Jung telling her to reject the job?' Amy pondered.

"What I'm trying to say, my dear is that you must demand your worth or else others would sell you short." the wise Professor said.

"No one in our line of work doesn't recognize you or your work. You are Dr. Amelia Elizabeth Fitzgerald. You tell them what to do, Amelia, not the other way around. Others might dismiss you because you're young, a woman, or perhaps because of your privileged upbringing, but never let them dismiss your work". Professor Jung smiled and tapped Amy's hand.

Amy thought a lot about what Professor Jung had said on her way home. Amy didn't think of himself as one with power all her life; she just did what others told her to do. She is brilliant, yes, but she has to start speaking up if she wants to be taken seriously.

That night, Amelia deliberately read her job description. 'Not this. Not this. Definitely not doing that' Amy thought as she scanned the documents.

After some time, she opened her laptop and started to write an email.

To: Dr. Cha

From: Dr. Fitzgerald

Dear Dr. Cha,

Greetings!

I have been giving it some thought and I would gladly accept your offer under the terms and conditions written below: