SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: The Big Sister Everybody Wants: Thea Husovska

By: Emma Barthalomew

From Canada to Portugal to Israel, Thea’s been everywhere. Thea Husovska started her travelling journey in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she was born on August 6, 2006. After living there for a few years, she and her family decided to move and settled on Kalamazoo in 2010. Thea’s wandering feet didn’t stop here, though. So far, Thea has travelled to over 10 different countries: Canada, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, and Austria. Of these boundless beautiful scenes, the Czech Republic and Spain are some of her favorites. Thea, being a fan of aesthetics, described the architecture as what she found to be especially moving. She explained its impact, saying, “Those cities are very good at portraying the importance of architecture and how it can define…important aspects in the city.” Even more than the everyday architecture, Thea loves the churches, calling them “profound.” 

Her love for the architecture of the churches has deep roots. Along the way through Thea’s adventures, she has had the opportunity to partake in very special, spiritual moments. During her trip to Israel, she retraced Jesus’ steps and renewed her Baptismal rites in the Jordan River just as Jesus did all those years ago. She recounted this experience, saying, “Being able to go through the steps of where Jesus was…I can put it into perspective.” On World Youth Day in 2023, Thea was even able to get to the front of the barricade and see Pope Francis up close and personal. Even better yet, it was her birthday- what a gift! 

Thea’s curiosities and interests were fostered by both her mom and dad. Her mom has a PhD in paper science and engineering, and her dad has a Masters degree in theology. Her dad especially has a love for all things learning; books, politics, you name it. Thea references him as being a big influence in her life, having helped cultivate a passion for politics and education. Having both grown up in communist Slovakia, Thea’s parents have fostered in their family the importance of being educated and an appreciation for having the ability to show their faith openly. 

Picture of Pope Francis taken by Thea

These values run deep in their large family. With large families comes even larger roles, and Thea doesn’t mind. Being the go-to babysitter, chauffeur, or whatever is needed at the moment, Thea gladly steps in. “Its second nature really,” she says, “It gives me a way to give back to my parents.” She describes their tight-knit relationships as a by-product of their lives as dual-citizens/ immigrants. When her parents first moved to America and had children, they were all each other had. They learned to work together and appreciate each other on a very deep level. “As immigrants, families tend to be close and appreciate all that they worked for,” Thea described. She finds joy in her family’s successes and pride in how far they have come. 

When Thea isn’t driving a younger sibling to practice or doing chores around the house, she is most likely outside mowing the lawn. She even goes as far as to say mowing the lawn is her “favorite thing ever.” Even with a little dirt, she finds tranquility in doing yard work. To her, it is less of a chore and more of a chance to be outside and do what she deems “easy” work. Plus, she can just make her brothers do whatever she doesn’t want to. 

Thea and her siblings in Fatima, Portugal 

As Thea looks towards the future, she plans to stay close to home to continue helping out her family. She will most likely go to K.V.C.C for two years and then transfer to another university, pursuing a career in the medical field. She is taking her time to get a feel for things, but she has her eyes on being a certified registered nurse anesthetist, or C.R.N.A. Regarded by her friends as the “mom” of the group, it seems that this type of job is the perfect fit for her. 

Whether she’s jet-setting across the world or mowing her lawn, Thea is ready for whatever comes her way. Wish her luck as she embarks on this new chapter of her life!