High school students often prioritize sports and clubs during their after school hours, while leaving community care behind. Joshua Kalarical, senior, challenges this norm and devotes his time to helping people and the world around him, while still being involved in sports. Kalarical has been involved in his community as much as anyone, not just other high schoolers. Though, he doesn’t just help people, he also helps out nature and the environment. At the Cedar Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care in Lake Zurich, Kalarical created his own butterfly garden to aid them and give them a home and a place to explore a multitude of different flowers and plants.
“I had been playing music frequently for Cedar Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care and I remember the residents being really kind and supportive of my music,” Kalarical said. “The staff overall was also really supportive and kept inviting me back to play, so I wanted to do a project as a way of giving back to the community, which was why I built the garden.”
When he was younger, Kalarical was really involved with music, and it has had a large impact on his life today. Today he has even created his own website, Harmony Heaven, focusing on helping people out through music. He wants to help people overcome challenges and stress to empower them to thrive. Though, community service is not the only thing Kalarical focuses on. School is also a huge importance to him and he has been making the most of his high school career. He is involved with music and tennis while making enough time to care for his community. High school has been a momentous building block in making him who he is today.
“My favorite class was probably AP Biology,” said Kalarical. “[I would] say that taking AP Bio fueled my overall interest in medicine and gave me a strong foundation in science for college. Additionally, it’s also helped me develop good study habits that I hope to carry in college as well.”
During his Senior year, Kalarical joined the Freshman Foundations or FAME team at the school. He helps the freshman, during parts of their lunch, learn more about what to expect out of high school and learn more about their future.
“It’s clear that he is invested in Lake Zurich High School,” said FAME Leader and AP Government teacher Victoria Foss. “He wants to bring out the best in people, especially with our freshman…he was only a leader as a senior, but that spoke to the fact that he cared enough that he wanted to do this senior year. So I think he is someonje that the freshman kind of looked up to.”
Kalarical will be attending The University of Missouri-Kansas City of Medicine, where he plans to become a physician through the 6 year BA/MD program and further pursue his aiding nature past high school.
“I plan on pursuing a career as a doctor because I know there is a need for more doctors in our country and I enjoy community service and serving the underserved populations,” Kalarical said. “I feel this career goal is best aligned with my interests and passions.”