On Jan. 29, former Gables student Kate Marmesh (sister of Gablette Coach Maureen “Mo” Marmesh) returned to our school for a Pro Chat with a small group of students interested in perusing a career in veterinary medicine. During the Pro Chat, Marmesh also touched on how to adjust to living away from home while at college. Marmesh also shared experiences she gained from working at Coconut Grove Animal Clinic and showed students pictures of the variety of patients the clinic treats. Marmesh also reminded students that her profession can be saddening at times when an animal must be put to sleep in order to end its suffering. 

When Marmesh was a student at Coral Gables Senior High School one of her most memorable classes was AP Biology with Mr. Bloomfield. Marmesh had the courage to admit that she was not the greatest test taker and advises students not to be too hard on themselves as long as they pass the class. At Gables, Marmesh was also involved in the soccer and volleyball teams, and was also a writer for Highlights.

“Especially with our profession, its not all about book smarts. You have to have good hands-on talent but you have to know stuff and how to use it in the real world,” Marmesh said.

After graduating from Gables, Marmesh went to the University of Florida (UF) but then decided to transfer to a another school, St. George’s University. St. George’s is a university located on the island Grenada which helped Marmesh gain most of her knowledge of veterinary medicine. Due to its isolated location, Marmesh spent most of her time studying for her classes since there were no other distractions and everyone on the island was there to learn. Another benefit to studying at an island school was the availability to help and get more hands-on experience from animals on local farms.

“When you think about human physicians they usually pick one thing, like family practice or surgeon. Veterinarians are the dentists, the radiologists and the surgeons. Not to mention we do this for various types of animals like dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, etc.,” Marmesh said.

Dr. Kate Marmesh, currently working at Coconut Grove Animal Clinic (a family operated business), is often visited for her expertise in diagnosing and treating animals according to their needs. Coconut Grove Animal Clinic has a “first come, first serve” policy, which means that there is no way of knowing what kind of animal might come through the door in need of veterinary care. Marmesh even gave the example of performing an emergency C-section on a Bull Terrier who was pregnant with seven puppies. After the impromptu procedure, Marmesh was able to save all seven puppies, and even purchased one of them from the original owner. Kate Marmesh gave students a glance into life as a veterinarian.