Catching up with former New Milford HS athlete Rachel Waldman
NEW MILFORD, Conn. — “I have great memories of my childhood in New Milford, and many were centered around sports and spending time outside,” recalls Dr. Rachel Waldman. That interest in sports is a main component of who she is today. The 2010 New Milford High School graduate was a standout in Field Hockey and Indoor and Outdoor Track. But, as she said, “It was Field Hockey that really stuck.”
After high school, she knew that she wanted to continue her athletic career. “I always loved the comradery of a team. I benefitted from the structure and discipline that team sports have to offer.” That decision became a challenge after being accepted at Vassar College, one of the most prestigious and elite colleges in the world.
She played Field Hockey at Vassar, and achieved Liberty League All Academic honors, and was named to the NFHCA/Gladiator National All Academic Squad. That, coupled with earning a Degree in Neuroscience and Behavior in 2014 was a workload that Rachel welcomed when choosing Vassar. “For me, the challenge ultimately became figuring out how to play at a level that was appropriate for my abilities and still offered an education that I wanted.”
Rachel took her Vassar degree and began working in a genetics lab for two years. It was then, that as she said, “I decided to reroute graduate school plans because I wanted to work in a clinical setting rather than a lab.” She began a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Yeshiva University and graduated in 2021.
Dr. Waldman, who lives in New York City, is currently completing her postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Waldman maintains that her decision was life changing and feels it is truly the perfect field for her interests and abilities, as it involves the intersection of neuroscience and behavior.
Her commitment to her career and education do not prevent Dr. Waldman from her ongoing pursuits as an athlete. She has been an active runner for many years and has completed four half marathons. Her love of running even found her in Scotland during a college semester abroad. She ran on the beaches of St. Andrews every morning and said, “I always thought I looked like I was in Chariots of Fire.”
That semester was instrumental in generating a love of travel. She said, “My favorite city in the world is Vienna. I love the access to the art, music, and history that is scattered throughout the city. The majority of my favorite artists are Viennese, so it was a dream to visit museums in the city. I even visited the Freud house before I knew that I wanted to be a psychologist, and I think it was a sign of things to come!”
She is now in the process of completing her postdoctoral fellowship. “It has been a very long road and I can’t wait to work as a Clinical Neuropsychologist. Ideally, I will be working in a major medical center in the New York area.”
The transplanted New Yorker has not forgotten her roots, as her family still lives in New Milford. She credits her mother, Anne, with instilling in her a strong sense of independence. When mentioning her dad, Dr. Ben Waldman, she said that he helped her develop a strong work ethic and a “never give up” attitude. She also said her stepmom, Sue, has really helped her strengthen her self-esteem. Her sister Julia, a UCONN Graduate who is currently in Medical School, was also an NMHS athlete and graduated in 2013.
Dr. Waldman also continues her pursuit in new athletic endeavors. She has taken up boxing and has recently learned how to ski. Running, boxing, skiing, and her passion for hiking has filled much of her time away from her career. Entertaining and cooking for friends is another of her leisure activities.
Dr. Rachel Waldman’s success hasn’t always come easy. She has dealt with people who have discouraged her from pursuing her goals. Her response is summed up by saying, “Over time, I’ve become much better at filtering out the noise, and approaching my goals without fear or hesitation. In many ways I have become a much stronger advocate for myself.”
It is evident that she accomplished so many of her goals. For proof, she is now known as Dr. Waldman.
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