Maymont and More
Gary Quash says he has learned much from his work at Maymont.
Gary Quash reached into the glass cage and, with the tenderness of a professional handler, picked up Abby, the black rat snake.
As she slowly curled around his forearm for balance, Quash nonchalantly talked about her characteristics and those of other animals he passed while walking around Maymont’s Nature Center.
At just 18, Quash has a lot on his plate.
The recent Franklin Military Academy graduate volunteers with Special Olympics Virginia, works as a lifeguard at the North Richmond YMCA and is a certified emergency medical technician. He’ll start classes at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in the fall.
Like most other teens, he loves hanging out with his friends, playing football and getting a taste of newfound independence thanks to the driver’s license that he got in May.
He has a job, but for Quash, work isn’t just about earning a paycheck.
He actually looks forward to his summers thanks to reptiles like Abby and other animals that he helps care for at Maymont. Quash is in his third and final summer at the park’s Nature Center, where he teaches children about snakes, insects and birds, and exercises screech owls and other animals that live at the center. He called the park’s nature center one of his favorite spots in Richmond.
“What do I plan to take from here?” Quash pondered. “It’s too big a list to say.”
But there are a few things, particularly changes he has seen in himself.
“I don’t mind meeting people now,” he said. “I’m more of a people person. My first year, I was very nervous,” especially when it came to working with kids. But “after you get to know them, spend some time with them and show them what they can do here ... you actually can bring [out] a different side of a person.
“I know how to bring a smile out of a kid,” he said. He said his people skills will help him as he prepares for college and, eventually, a career. At this point, Quash is considering a career in criminal justice, though nursing and veterinary medicine also are considerations.
His dream in life is to work at Sea World with Shamu, a whale.
In the meantime, though, he’s enjoying his days as a teacher, mentor and even a student.
“Helping out people, teaching them new things – it’s something that you have to experience for yourself to know what it feels like,” he said.
This article originally published in Discover Richmond. Click here to view more Discover articles, or send us an e-mail to request a copy of the magazine.
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