Discoveries and rewards of an inquisitive mind

Submitted by the East Haddam Land Trust

Small curiosities have always had a hold on Faith Kalisz.

The 18-year-old, who was awarded this year’s $2,000 scholarship from East Haddam Land Trust, will begin her freshman year in September at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. She plans to major in environmental science and hopes to work one day with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, maybe as an analyst. She thinks her focus will be on the protection and restoration of wildlife habitats.

Well before high school — even before starting East Haddam Elementary School — Faith had a curious mind. She loved nature’s intrigues. One of her favorite pastimes as a young child was visiting Devil’s Hopyard State Park and other preserves in town.

“I only live five minutes from (Devil’s Hopyard),” she said. “I learned to ride a bike here, but I also learned how to drive here. I feel connected to nature. Whenever I was here, or at Machimoodus (State Park), or Salmon River, I would always turn over rocks, see the bugs underneath, try to pick them up. I liked to try to catch frogs and toads, too.”

Faith and her family live on Tater Hill Road. She has two older brothers, one at the University of Maine Farmington, and the other, Luke, who attends Maine Maritime Academy and was awarded EHLT’s scholarship two years ago. Their mother is an English teacher at East Hampton’s middle school. Their father runs his own business as a dog trainer.

From middle school through high school, Faith was a stand-out in softball, among other activities, including school band — playing the bass clarinet. She was on Nathan Hale-Ray’s varsity softball team all four years and has been a member of the Cheshire-based travel team Connecticut Charge.

“So, I basically play year-round,” she said. She has committed to play NCAA Division II ball at Saint Anselm.

Of her many accolades and achievements, membership in the National Honor Society, as secretary of the high school’s chapter in her senior year, stands out as one of Faith’s most meaningful.

“I find joy in helping others,” she said. “We did a lot of tutoring workshops (for other students). We also hosted a blood drive this year and had a hot cocoa day at school.”

Another stand-out among Faith’s activities has been her involvement with a hiking club for young conservationists ages 14 to 18 that is organized by Lyme Land Trust — The Tree Collective program. She joined with a friend in eighth grade. In that first year, they hiked the approximately 14-mile Richard Goodwin Trail, which starts in East Haddam and ends in East Lyme. The conservationist group meets one Sunday a month, from early fall through June. Each time, the teens hike a selected preserve and have a nature study focus appropriate to the area.

This summer – for her third season – Faith is working part-time as a tour guide at Gillette Castle. Ever intrigued by little mysteries, she likes introducing visitors to interesting features designed by William Gillette.

“There are a few pocket doors hidden away. A lot of people just miss them...The tour guides are taught how to operate them, and on the doors, there are specific carvings that Gillette made. And when you move the door handle, it moves everything on the door.”

For Faith, work is made into fun. And fun starts with a natural interest in the world around her.

(If you would like to assist young people like Faith to realize their dreams, please consider a donation to EHLT's scholarship program by sending a check to Box 122, East Haddam, CT 06423, or giving online at www.ehlt.org  Select scholarship in the "Ways to Give" tab. Thank you.)