Back in February of 2010, student activities executive secretary Kelly Adamovic entered through the doors of Niles West. Being a stay-at-home mom of three, Adamovic took on the responsibilities of others with ease. From daily demands to important needs, Adamovic was on it. With that experience, she wanted to start up working again, but this time in a completely different environment. After hearing about the position at Niles West, she jumped at the opportunity without hesitation and is forever grateful for what her job has provided her.

After Adamovic’s youngest child turned four years old, she decided she wanted to start working again, but the question was: where? At the time, Adamovic’s sister-in-law was a staff member at West and offered up information about the position to her.

“I heard about the job from one of my family members and I figured why not. I wanted to start working after my kids got a little bit older and I figured this would be something fun to try out. After not working for a little bit of time, I wanted to get back into the swing of things and be one of those people that could do both,” Adamovic said.

As her time at West continued, she continued to fall in love with what she does. To many, daily tasks and organization is a battle, but Adamovic embraces it with open arms.

“I love that I get to work with students and the great staff every day. The faculty has become my friends and Niles West is a great school and a great place to work. Getting to be involved in so many things around the school is awesome. Students Activities is part of so much! I interact with so many types of people and it’s awesome,” Adamovic said.

A few years into getting back into the swing of working, Adamovic made a life-changing decision. She decided to endure a double mastectomy: a surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. The reason for this was due her having the BRCA gene. The BRCA gene identifies harmful changes (mutations) in either one of the two breasts to show cancer susceptibility. Because of her family history with this type of DNA, Adamovic took whatever means necessary to avoid being affected by it.

“The BRCA gene runs in my family and it basically detects any possibility of getting breast or ovarian cancer. Having family members that have passed away from it, I didn’t want anything to affect me. When I got tested for the gene and found out I had it, I was scared to death because of how I would look, the pain, the emotional trauma, and everything in between,” Adamovic said. “Many people don’t know how it feels mentally and physically. I still struggle every day when I see myself in the mirror. A part of me is gone. I am happy I am healthy and will be able to spend my life with my family, but I just don’t feel whole.”

After Adamovic healed from her procedure, she bounced right back into working. Throughout her time at West, she has worked with two student activity directors, the current one being Katie Odell. Being her assistant is a win-win for Adamovic, having not only a great boss but a fantastic friend. Odell recognizes how great and important Adamovic is to not only the building but to her on a personal level.

“Working with Mrs. A. is one of the best things ever. Every single day she comes into the office with a smile and she is fun every single day. She balances me out completely. I am so task oriented and serious sometimes and she does a great job bringing me back to reality when things get extremely busy,” Odell said. “Our relationship has continuously grown over the years. She makes me laugh, she has one of the best personalities, and her loyalty is so appreciated.”

Faculty members aren’t the only ones who have shown gratitude for Adamovic’s presence. Hundreds of students interact with Adamovic on a weekly basis, and her efforts certainly don’t go unseen. One of the many students her is extremely appreciative of Adamovic is junior Katie Trail.

“I love Mrs. A. She is always someone I can go to for advice, to make me laugh or just a great person to talk to. When I see her, her smile and energy are infectious and she just knows how to make people happy. She is such a people person and she is one of the few people I’ve met that just lives life to the fullest every day,” Trail said.

Adamovic’s daily tasks and deadlines are consistent, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. From growing up in a busy household to having a family, and to making the life decisions she did, working at West has helped shape her into the person she is today. She can’t think of any other place she’d like to be, with the people she loves, doing what she loves.