One thing that people (probably) don't know about me if they don't know me is that I was born profoundly hearing impaired ( approx 90% loss in my left ear and 70% loss in my right ear) -ever watch Switched at Birth?? Being deaf is NOT a loss it is a GAIN! I fully believe this! My hearing loss has made me who I am today, has taught me many lessons that I may not have otherwise learned, and I would not want it ANY other way. Yes, it caused delays in my learning, speech,and pragmatic skills and yes I still have situations in my everyday life where my hearing impairment gets the best of me. No, I do not know sign language (besides the alphabet and a few signs) I read lips very effectively.  I do wear a hearing aid in my right ear which helps me but I do need people to look at me when they talk!

Ironically my vision is awful too ha, legally blind without contacts/glasses and my friends and husband jokingly call me Helen Keller.... Thanks guys! ;)

Along with my hearing impairment, I grew up as an only child, no siblings :(  who did I make friends with and talk to? You guessed it- animals! Welcome to the roots of my veterinary career :) I owe my life to animals and I made a promise that I would spend my life helping them in return.

I found myself turning to animals for companionship at a young age and learned how amazing and STRONG the human-animal bond is at a very young age. I later wrote my undergrad thesis paper on the human-animal bond (will post that later).

My first two pets were my 2 cats, Gizmo, FS black DLH, and Silver, MN grey DSH. Miss you babies! I started breeding and showing guinea pigs when I was 8-9 years old. I know most people are like what? Showed guinea pigs? Is this girl serious? Yes lol it is like showing dogs, there are different breeds of guinea pigs and they are judged on their colors and conformation. No I did not run them around a ring on a collar and leash as one of interviewers asked me at Tennessee!

I started a dog walking business when I was 10 and would walk dogs for an hour for a dollar, talk about cheap labor lol if only I knew... I ALWAYS wanted a dog but my parents (mom) would not let me get one for anything until I was 19! I started riding horses and eventually got my very own appendix QH when I was 13 years old after I lost 60 pounds ( a bet I made with my parents and a story for later!) I worked at the barn where I rode and boarded my horse and got thousands of equine animal experience there.

Once high school started (overrated) I was very shy and introverted, well I still am now but feel I have improved and have grown so much as a person since, I mean I'm blogging! I couldn't even talk to boys HA and was scared of what everyone thought of me (what a joke now) and yet I was the youngest and first to get married out of everyone I know... Funny how life works!

I did my first internship at a veterinary hospital during my junior year of high school and shadowed for roughly 70 hours. It helped me get a feel for a veterinary hospital and what a typical day in a small animal hospital was like. I did not really get much hands on animal experience but surprisingly was taught a lot of lab skills. Something to mention is that my 2 mentors, who it still have some contact with almost 8 years later! Were vet techs! The veterinarian actually probably cared less that I was there and the techs showed me everything there and that was when I first heard about Medaille and the vet tech program from both of them. One of them was in the process of applying ( and recently graduated from KSU!!) and told me about the Student Doctor Forum! I'm sure many professional students know about this network and it is ADDICTING, especially during the application cycle.  Anyways that was my first experience in the veterinary field and it only confirmed my life's aspirations, and the fact that I love scrubs :)

So anyways my first semester of undergrad was not at Medaille, it was at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, known for its great pre-vet and equestrian programs. I loved the school and professors and the program but did get homesick :( I wasn't very involved in outside activities, didn't attempt to make friends that much, not to mention my roommate and I DID NOT get along and I felt like I was her mother.... My husband ( boyfriend) at the time would meet half way in Mentor, Ohio to see each other EVERY weekend. I just knew that I would be happier in my hometown, good ol Buffalo. I missed working a job, driving my car, seeing my friends, having a life. I was also going through MAJOR pre-vet stress, with the sudden realization that pre-vet classes/ pre-reqs are hard and that vet school is extremely COMPETITIVE, I may not even get in! I was also having anxiety with deaths in my family and hometown. I decided to come back home and attend Medaille for the veterinary technology program to use as a back up in case I don't get into vet school. This was a very hard decision for me and I did not have my family's support at first. Most people ( my friends and parents) probably thought I wanted to come home because I missed my boyfriend, which of course I did but clearly I am much more mature than that and there were many other factors considered. I AM SO HAPPY I WENT THIS WAY AND MADE THIS DECISION! I have no regrets, everything happens for a reason.

I will continue in my next post with my experiences during undergrad!