I know it’s the classic story, but for me, becoming a veterinarian was literally a dream from childhood. No joke, I was two years old when I was given my first vet kit for Christmas. Maybe watching “Balto” inspired this, I really can’t say, but one of my biggest hopes with this dream was to work with sled dogs in Alaska. This is probably what sparked my initial interest in canine sports medicine. (And yes, going to Alaska to work with sled dogs is still a goal of mine!)
This passion for animals, especially dogs, kept me driven towards my dream of becoming a veterinarian. My life became an obsession centered around our canine companions (#noshame). I look back and realize I actually knew so little about what veterinary medicine entailed, and all the hard work that it actually takes to get that DVM. I honestly thought it was all about loving and cuddling animals, especially dogs. So to get there, all I knew was that my goal was to get into a well-known college with a pre-vet degree. And from there my aim was to attend UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, due to its excellent repertoire.
In high school I spent many hours volunteering at vet clinics, groomers & pet daycare facilities. I tried to involve myself in as many animal-related activities as I could in order to gain the experience I needed to end up in vet school – from petsitting for family friends to attending dog shows & agility competitions. I was so consumed by the goal of getting into vet school that I took the responsibility to educate myself on the ins and outs of dog care & health, and even memorized many dog breeds and their husbandry by heart.
Luckily, this effort & drive wasn’t for nothing, and I was accepted into all five colleges I applied to for undergrad. In the end, I chose California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO). Go Mustangs!
Now I will let you know what kind of student I was in high school solely for you pre-vets out there who are concerned about getting into a good college for pre-vet. However, I don’t want to put too much focus on specific scores and grades as I don’t believe these define what makes an ideal candidate for undergrad (also, I don’t remember the specifics of everything because it honestly doesn’t matter in the long run). I graduated high school a member and leader of various clubs and was involved in four different sports. I took both the SAT and ACT and received slightly above average scores on them both. My GPA was a 4.0 and I was salutatorian of my class (not saying much to be honest because my high school was SUPER small).
At Cal Poly SLO, my major was Animal Science with a pre-vet concentration, and I ended up picking up a minor in Photography. I honestly didn’t have tons of time to be involved with campus clubs and sports like I was in high school, so I simply remained an active member of the Vet Club and a campus ministry called Cru. I am so grateful I attended Cal Poly SLO because they put a lot of emphasis on hands-on experience, so I easily gained hundreds of hours of animal experience needed in order to apply to vet school.
On top of that, I also worked part time at a pet boarding & daycare facility for two of the years. Through this job, I also received the opportunity to raise service dogs for veterans with PTSD. This was by far one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I mean who wouldn’t want an excuse to take a dog with you EVERYWHERE you go??! It was definitely so difficult to say bye to these dogs once their training was complete, as I built such a deep bond with them. However, it was so worth it to see what a difference they made in a veteran’s life! (Check out New Life K9s for more info). Raising these service dogs only increased my interest in canine sports medicine.
During the summertime while I was in college, I worked at a local vet clinic back home. This job was HUGE for me in gaining clinical veterinary experience. I HIGHLY recommend you do whatever you can to get this experience (start in high school if you can!). I had an amazing mentor who pushed me to try things like take blood, place catheters, etc. So by the time I was in vet school, I had experience doing many clinical tasks successfully.
Everything I did my entire youth was done in order to be a vet. To get into vet school. It honestly became such an idol in my life, and in college I started to lose the passion I originally had for veterinary medicine. I was striving through it all instead of enjoying it all. I started to lose track of why I even wanted to be a veterinarian in the first place.
Going into senior year of college I was so burnt out from academics. I began to question if I still wanted to be a vet. So, instead of applying to vet schools like many of my friends, I knew I needed to take a year off and do something different. I needed to pause and reevaluate where I was going in life and figure out what I actually wanted. I needed the rest.
For anyone who has felt this way or feels this way: this is okay. It’s okay to stop. It’s okay to pause. You need to give your body, your mind and your soul this kind of time to figure out what truly matters to you. So please don’t feel guilty for this.
After graduating from Cal Poly SLO in 2015, I started an internship through Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru). Through this internship, I worked in full-time ministry for one year with college & high school students. And I absolutely LOVED it. It was definitely one of the best jobs I’ve had to this day. The personal & spiritual growth was exactly what I needed that year. It was what I needed to dig deeper into my heart & soul and truly determine if I was still passionate about veterinary medicine…
Well, I was.
And that’s when Part 2 of this story comes in.
To Be Continued…