In honor of National Approved Veterinary Assistant Week (May 18–24)
Sister Barbara Margulies: A Life Devoted to Animals, Faith, and Lifelong Learning
Lincroft, NJ, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sister Barbara Margulies: A Life Devoted to Animals, Faith, and Lifelong Learning
In honor of National Approved Veterinary Assistant Week (May 18–24), the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) is spotlighting one of Brookdale Community College’s most inspiring graduates, Sister Barbara Margulies. A former nun from Long Island with a lifelong passion for animal care, Sister Barbara graduated from Brookdale’s NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant Program at 78. Sister Barbara’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue your passion. To learn more about Brookdale’s Veterinary Assistant Program, prospective students are encouraged to attend upcoming information sessions on May 22 at 7:00 p.m. or June 25 at 1:00 p.m.
All of us who work in the veterinary profession have a backstory, something that drove us to dedicate our lives to caring for animals. For Sister Barbara Margulies, it was a lifelong passion for horse care that led her to make an extraordinary decision in her late 70s: to return to college and enroll in the NAVTA-Approved Veterinary Assistant Program at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey.
“I can just burst with pride as I remember them now and think of all the fun, and learning we had,” Sister Barbara shared. “Brookdale was great to me when I first inquired. Janet McConnell, the Vet Assistant professor, was the greatest, she kept encouraging me. And the kids in the class, I just fell in love with all of them. They welcomed me, and it was so important. I was so much older than they were. I drove three hours back and forth to Long Island and Brookdale for that class. And the night I passed, I laughed alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way home, then cried with happiness. It meant so much to me and still does.”
She graduated from Brookdale in 2013. “I was the only older person and they made me feel very wanted. They called me Mama Goose,” she recalled. “I remember the first night at the animal hospital. I was walking from the parking lot and saw a shadow of myself in my scrubs—and I felt like a million dollars, studying Vet Assisting.”
Born in the 1940s and raised on Long Island, NY, Sister Barbara’s connection to the church began in 7th grade, during a time she was struggling in school. After graduating high school, she began a journey through multiple colleges and convents, eventually earning an Associate Degree (1962), a Bachelor’s Degree (1965), and a Master’s Degree (1969) from Hunter College. Simultaneously, she nurtured her deep bond with animals, managing horse stables at summer camps.
In 1986, Sister Barbara took her vows as a nun and made a unique fourth vow: to care for animals, especially horses. She went on to establish the Sisters for a Christian Community while managing a horse farm in Geneseo, NY.
Throughout all of her education and work as a nun, Sister Barbara worked at multiple Equine barns and stables as an attendant, riding instructor, barn manager, and finally at Skills Unlimited for 28 years, a center for Disabled Adults. She shared her love of horses with her clients and expanded her riding skills with advanced lessons in Western and English riding and Dressage. Sister Barbara culminated her horse care training with courses in horse massage from 2006-2012, receiving a certificate in Equissage Sports Massage. She also wrote a workbook called “Horsey Homework” for young people in camps considering working with horses.
Now at the age of 85, and a little more frail, particularly with a history of riding injuries including two broken legs, a hip replacement, and dental implants, Sister Barbara still longs for the barn days and working with kids from difficult backgrounds. A life that included three horses and five dogs, she currently shares her life with a little Chihuahua and a new little trailer.
“I hope I can go around and do God’s work,” she said. “My advice to kids would be to study, read, and dream and then go and accomplish your dream…I am at the end of my story and have had a wonderful life, but it is not over…we are not dead, we are just old.”
For more information about Brookdale’s Veterinary Assistant program, visit the Veterinary Assistant webpage or attend an upcoming information session:
- Register Here: Thursday, May 22nd at 7:00 pm
- Register Here: Wednesday, June 25th at 1:00 pm
Attachment
- Sister Barbara Margulies: A Life Devoted to Animals, Faith, and Lifelong Learning
CONTACT: Laura Oncea Brookdale Community College 732-224-2967 loncea@brookdalecc.edu
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