My Love For Animals Started Young
I have always been fascinated by the human (and animal) body, as well as medical sciences. I was lucky enough to go to work with my mom, a veterinarian, and grow up in her vet clinic. I remember as a young child, I would play with stuffed animals and pretend I was the doctor working on them. It was a lot of fun when you could use an actual clinic and medical equipment to express your creativity as a child. Being exposed to helping animals at a young age fueled my passion.
With time I noticed that most of my friends hated their jobs and were miserable going to work. As a teenager, I spent endless hours at my mom’s vet clinic. To me, it was more than a job. I enjoyed being there, and because of my time spent at the clinic, it pushed me toward a path of veterinary medicine.
School, School, & More School
Pre-vet is not easy. For one, it is very competitive. Most if not all of your classmates have the same goal: getting one of those limited spots into vet school.
I think the most challenging aspect is just balancing everything. To succeed in vet school, they require a lot more than just being at the top of your class. They want to see you develop a broad range of skills, have a variety of animal expertise, and that you are active in your community.
Like with any passion, there are challenges faced while fulfilling your dream. Pursuing veterinary medicine is a long journey and because of this, it requires focus and dedication as to why you began. Year after year sitting in a classroom can be boring and unmotivating at times. I constantly remind myself that gaining acceptance into vet school is a marathon, not a sprint.
At the end of the day, I know that every ounce of struggle will be worth my long-term happiness. I cannot see myself doing anything other than working with and helping animals. Knowing I will be able to help animals for the rest of my life is very encouraging to get through the monotonous long days of studying. My mom has always told me “Doing something you love is so important!” I am happy to know that each day will bring new adventures and challenges, and that my work will impact the lives of many animals and owners.
Turning a Hobby into Helping
Fostering animals was something that I always knew I wanted to be apart of and during my junior year in college I was able make it a reality. When attending training courses at my local animal center, I had overheard employees discuss how full the shelters are and how few repeat foster homes they had. I became aware of how much help shelters and their animals needed, and I had to take action to help! I have been fostering for two years now and have been able to rehome 35 animals to date (dogs and cats). I’ve watched the animals I foster make huge progress in behavior and attitude towards people- which is more rewarding that I could have imagined. Rescue animals typically have been through a lot of different things in their lives. I am continually amazed by the growth I witness by each animal, as they begin learning how it is to be loved and live inside again. It takes a lot of patience, but is never a dull moment ❤️🐶. I also realized how important it is that by fostering, you are not only saving one life, but you are also opening up a cage for another animal’s life to be saved, and changed for the better in the process. I am blessed to have found my passion! Helping animals through medicine and fostering is my #freetobe way of life.
XO -
Lexi