WOODBURY – For most of us, surrounding ourselves with our own species is what we crave. For NHS junior Rachel Kalmanovsky, working with animals is her most natural environment.
Kalmanovsky fills her days with AP classes, agriscience responsibilities, homework, work in a local veterinary hospital,, 4-H, caring for her friends, and even finding time to take care of her own animals. Her love for her friends, her passion for wildlife, and her strong work ethic are only some of what makes her who she is.
Nonnewaug science teacher Melissa Hodges tells what she appreciates most about Kalmanovsky.
“Rachel always comes to class ready to work and does so with a smile on her face,” says Hodges. “I’ve also loved talking to her about our latest crochet projects.”
Hodges also discusses how she appreciates how Kalmanovsky always goes out of her way to be goofy and can turn any mistake into something funny.
“We also joke that she is accident prone. She burned my floor last year with a flaming Dorito and signed her name next to the mark it left on my floor,” Hodges says “We were both saddened when we came back this year and it had been removed when they waxed my floors over the summer.”
Kalmanovsky takes pride in how hard she works to be able to do greater things in her life. It’s a trait that her friends and teachers see shine in her everyday.
“She is the president of her 4-H club and works hard to find ways to make changes to make it better,” Isabelle Longly, a junior at Nonnewaug adds. “She also works hard on her homework to keep her grades high, and she is part of multiple honor societies.”
Rachel attributes her work ethic to her mom. She believes she got it from watching her mom work hard.
“I was not always as blessed as I am now. I grew up watching my mom work during the day and go through school at night to get a better career. I watched as my mom worked and raised me. I saw her work pay off,” Kalmanovsky said. “I watched her succeed and share the fruits of her labor. I work hard now so when I am an adult I can enjoy life, and I will be able to support my family. I want them to never know the struggles. I want to look back on everything I’ve done with pride and kindness, as I’ve seen my mother do.”
Her friends agree another strong aspect to her personality is caring about others.
“She’s always there when I’m down,” said Cheyanne Tilley, one of Kalmanovsky’s closest friends. “She’s always there to lend an ear, advice, and hugs. She always helps others, but for me she makes sure my mental health is up and I am feeling good.”
In addition to her school work and friends Kalmanovsky has a strong passion for animals and plans to be a veterinarian in her future. To help with her future goal, she is in vet science in the ag program.
“I love the innocent comfort in animals,” Kalmanovsky says. “I believe all animals are a product of their environment and they can be healed. I love how animals seem to sense our sadness, and seek comfort in us as we do in them. I want to heal animals to preserve that innocence in this world.”
“The trait I appreciate the most about Rachel is her compassion,” Jesse Hungerford the vet science teacher at Nonnewaug says. “She is compassionate toward the animals, to the equipment in the lab facilities, to the FFA chapter, and to all its dedicated staff members.”
“Rachel loves all the animals in the lab,” Hungerford adds. “She shows this by thoroughly completing chores — cleaning their habitats, making sure they are well-fed, giving them fresh water, and socializing and providing enrichment to all our fuzzy (and non-fuzzy) friends.”
“I would also say that her SAE proves her love for animals, working actively in the veterinary industry with professionals on a regular basis to continue building her knowledge and skill set,” Hungerford continues. “Rachel takes pride in the success of the veterinary science program. She is a clear advocate and supporter of the cat fostering program. And she asks GREAT questions during class lectures and discussions.”
Kalmanovsky, an Oxford resident and FFA member, appreciates the agriscience program because of the opportunities given to students.
“The Ag program opportunities are like none other available. For starters it exposed me to both information and hands-on learning I would not have otherwise received,” says Kalmanovsky. “I mean how many kids can go to school and say “I learned how to suture.” All of the ag teachers always do their best to give us as much enrichment as possible and pull from real world current events to aid our learning. The experiences I have now are actively setting me up to be an engaged, experienced, and knowledgeable veterinarian.”
