Growing up, everyone always asks you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Throughout my life, my answer was constantly changing. For most of my childhood, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I was pretty set on it. Throughout high school, I was a bit lost as to who and what I wanted to be. For a few years, it was a teacher, then I would say veterinarian again, and then an accountant, and then an agriculture teacher, but somehow I always kept reverting back to being a veterinarian. It sounds crazy that such a hard profession would become my fallback, but I think it was just my subconscious knowing me best.Growing up on a farm, I’ve always had experience taking care of animals that are sick and nursing them back to health. On a dairy farm, calf care is extremely important in ensuring that the herd can continue on. As a kid, caring for the calves was my job. I was supposed to make sure they were all eating and drinking their milk and make sure that they were all upbeat and happy. I think that constant care for the littlest babies of the farm was what nurtured my eye for noticing sick or injured animals.The older I get, the more my mom relies on me and trusts me to keep an eye out on the cattle and other animals. I’m always quick to notice if something doesn’t seem quite right and I have a knack (although a gross one) for smelling infectious wounds before seeing them, even when others can’t. This constant looking and keeping an eye out for sick and injured animals has quickly taught me my love for veterinary medicine and animal care.
Nothing excites me more than seeing an animal who has been sick get their personality back. Each of my cows has a unique personality and you learn their quirks over time. It’s very easy to determine when one of them is not feeling the greatest because they just lose their energy. Almost anyone can see if an animal is not feeling well; it’s the ability to solve the mystery and determine how to correctly solve the problem that I love!
Being a veterinarian is a hard road. It takes a lot of time, a lot of education, and a lot of money. For someone to become a veterinarian means that they have the drive and the compassion to care for animals no matter what problems lie in their way. For a long time, I wasn’t sure that I had what it takes to make it as a veterinarian. At times, I’m still not sure. I may fail at getting into vet school, I may do poorly on my GREs, but this is my dream, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. Please enjoy the below gif of my recently newborn girl, Paulie!