Dear Me,
Veterinary School Me on the first day of clinics. Veterinary School Me on the first day of vet school. Undergraduate Me finding out you were accepted to vet school. Undergrad Me submitting your VMCAs. Undergrad Me declaring a Pre-Vet major. High School Me getting into a private college. High School Me deciding to pursue a veterinary career track. High School Me figuring out you loved veterinary medicine, watching the vets out at the barn and the vets work with our family pets. Middle School Me watching how your vet handled our family dog’s cancer diagnosis with grace and compassion. Elementary School Me being enamored with the James Herriot series, anything horse-related, and animals in general. 5-Year-Old Me, opening a box labeled “Pet Vet” with a full array of veterinary toys and a real, live kitten of you own.
Dear Me,
Like so many individuals who want to be a vet, I think you knew at a young age you were meant to take care of animals. Yet, every step along the way has surprised you. That you absorbed horse care facts like a sponge. That you were enamored watching veterinarians work. That you thought the hardest and coolest thing you’d ever done was administer an IM vaccine to your favorite lesson horse. That your own observation skills discovered your dog’s lymphoma. Somehow, there wasn’t any doubt that you’d be doing something with animals.
Dear Me,
Did you ever stop to recognize the struggle you overcame to get here? You could’ve chosen something easier, something less expensive, something less stress and anxiety-inducing, something less heart-breaking. But you didn’t. You saw the flip side, the innovation, the medical advancement, the success stories, the beauty, the compassion, the empathy. You fought through every step. To find an undergrad program that would set you up for success; through upper level science courses, organic chemistry and advanced calculus that you would in fact, never need, despite the application requirements. You fought to serve as a leader, to volunteer your time, grow your clinical skills, and hone your hobbies while balancing your academics. You fought to make every word on your vet school application reflective of your story.
Dear Me,
Your fight didn’t stop in vet school. You dug your heels in for a type of learning you’d never experienced and experienced failure and success, sometimes in equal parts, through trial and error. Each semester brought you a new level of educational purgatory – how could you be expected to learn THIS much?
Dear Me,
Did you ever consider a career change? What else would you even want to do? Veterinary medicine was instilled in your heart and your path has never wavered. Your purpose is here.
Dear Me,
Have you realized how much you’ve grown? How you’ve learned to adapt? To accept situations you cannot change, to give your best effort and be at peace with the outcome, to learn in creative ways, to learn to lean on others and give and take in collaborations so everyone learns together? How you’ve become both a leader and a team player? How your confidence has grown? How your clinical skills have been honed? How your communication skills have excelled?
Dear Me,
You have been surprised at every step of this journey. That you found your dream undergraduate program and flourished. That you were accepted into multiple vet schools. That you have forged your way through your veterinary education and while it hasn’t been perfect, it has been riddled with accomplishment and praise and the successes far outweigh the failures.
Dear Doctor,
I don’t know why you have been surprised at every step of this journey because it was clear from that start that this is where you were meant to end up all along.
