Raised in a small garden apartment in Queens, N.Y., Mitchell Kornet developed his interest in animals and veterinary medicine at the John Bowne High School in nearby Flushing. While an undergraduate student in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, he gained valuable experience in the veterinary college’s large animal hospital under the mentorship of surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Kramer. In 1975, he was admitted to the DVM program in the College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating in 1979, he worked at the Mid Island Animal Hospital and became sole owner in 1983 at age 28. In the aftermath of 9/11/2001, Dr. Kornet was responsible for organizing teams of veterinarians and veterinary technicians treating the search and rescue dogs at ground zero. He has remained very active in Cornell programs and has served as the president of the Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Association. He also regularly mentors pre-veterinary students. He and his wife, Renee, have two children, Allison and Robin, both of whom are Cornell graduates.