Veterinarian Overview
Animals have always been an important part of my life. As a child, I enjoyed the usual assortment of pet turtle, newts, lizard, hamsters, rabbits, and finally cats. I loved zoos, drawing and painting animals and above all, observing wildlife in their natural habitats (whale and dolphin watching, snorkeling in coral reefs, finding marmots and mountain goats in the Western mountains, prairie dogs and coyotes in New Mexico). All kinds of creatures have always fascinated me. The idea of being a veterinarian, however, did not come to me until halfway through college. I was waffling between anthropology, oceanography, and comparative literature, when I went to stay at my uncle's farm. He and his wife, both doctors, told me if they had to do it over again, they would have been veterinarians. The idea quickly took hold and in no time, I was immersed in pre-vet courses. I spent the next few years studying extremely hard, working for veterinarians, and volunteering on a dairy farm. My first job was at a practice where Dr. Kornet was an associate veterinarian in Queens. I admired his diagnostic skills and energy and we stayed in touch after that. My hard work paid off. I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and was admitted to Cornell Veterinary School.
