Elmsford Students Get Window into Various Careers

Ossining veterinarian Dr. Joe D'Agnese speaks to students during Career Day at Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School.

Guest speakers from a variety of occupations had the chance to make a real impact on students at Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School in the Elmsford Union Free School District Feb. 16 during its annual Career Day, providing them with practical insights on their jobs and how the students might prepare for similar careers.

The half-day session was made available to students in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades, who rotated through several classrooms where the speakers were based for the duration of the event.

AHHS alum Dr. Carl Sartori, a recent graduate of the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, was on hand with nurse Theresa Patterson, who works at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, to talk about the field of orthopedics and the high-tech tools that surgeons use when treating patients. They also discussed the 27-hour-long surgery that took place at the hospital last year to separate conjoined twins.

Dr. Sartori, who is hoping to do his residency in pediatrics, said he was happy to be back at AHHS and to share his expertise.

While the majority of veterinarians work with small animals, Veterinarian Dr. Joe D’Agnese told the students there are many vets who choose to work with livestock species such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs. Still others prefer “real small” animals, he said, while more work as researchers at pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs for animal consumption.

Dr. D’Agnese, who currently serves as medical director of the Hudson Veterinary Hospital Pet Resort and Spa in Ossining, encouraged the students to do their best academically. “You need to try to get the best marks you can because there’s a whole other world out there besides being here,” he told them.

He also talked about the competitive nature of the field and the difficulty of getting into veterinary school, given that there are only about 25 such schools in the U.S. He added that there are opportunities for students who wish to apply to veterinary schools in the Caribbean, Australia, South America, and Europe.

For students who are accepted to veterinary school, Dr. D’Agnese said it is a “very intense” program of study.

“While you will not leave veterinary school knowing everything, you will leave with a definite pathway to knowing what to do,” he said.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Mahjabeen Hassan said it hasn’t always been easy working in a male-dominated field. But she did offer some encouragement to the girls in the room who might be considering a career in medicine. “Stick with it. Give yourselves positive thoughts,” she said, adding that God has given her the same hands as her male counterparts, and with smaller hands, finer stitching is often easier to accomplish.

“Focus is the most important aspect of your life,” she added. “Pursue your dreams no matter what hardships come.”

Others industries represented at Career Day included accounting, education, fashion, insurance, law enforcement, marketing, real estate, the restaurant industry, theater, the U.S. military, and more.