As a child, when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up my answer always had something to do with animals (except for my earliest and most coveted dream of becoming a ballerina). Some standout dreams were to be a farmer, a wildlife photographer, or a to run a dog rescue/humane society. I eventually started going to an after-school program at the Kitchener-Waterloo humane society called “Junior Vets”.  That name somehow stuck with me and directed me towards my goal of becoming a veterinarian.

It was this program that also introduced me to horses as one of our field trips was to a riding stable. I convinced my parents to sign me up for horse riding camp and from then on I was hooked on horses. Through the years of enjoying and owning horses, I often gravitated towards the vets or farriers as they worked on our horses. I eventually got a job as an assistant for an equine practitioner and as I gained experienced in equine veterinary care, my fellow boarders and friends asked for my help with their horses’ vet care and appointments. I loved these moments and was always eager to give a helping hand when a friend and their horse was in need.

Throughout my undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph, I became more involved in the other animal industries as I studied agricultural and animal sciences. I volunteered with food animal vets and I worked on some large dairy farms. I enjoyed milking cows and caring for these incredible animals alongside the hard working farmers, and I really felt a sense of pride in being a part of our amazing dairy industry. Right before getting into OVC, I gained small animal experience from working in a clinic as an assistant and fell in love with veterinary medicine yet again. All of these experiences presented moments which encouraged me to continue on the long and hard journey to becoming a veterinarian. Bottle feeding and treating scouring calves with diarrhea to see them run and play a few days later or watching two sisters’ faces light up as I brought their kitten back to them after being neutered earlier that day are just a couple of these moments. Helping animals and “their” people is the most rewarding thing that I have ever experienced and I look forward to a lifetime of this with my career in veterinary medicine.