Age: 26

Hometown:
I was born and raised in London, England. At 17, I moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and then to Grand Blanc, Mich., when I was 22. So my hometown is all over the place, but I will always be a Brit at heart! I'm hoping to move back to California when I'm done.

Undergrad & Degree:
I studied anthropology, psychology and sociology for one year at college in England. After that, I moved to L.A. and went to Pasadena City College, where I started working toward completing my prerequisites for vet school. I ended up completing them at the University of Michigan and got into vet school without a degree. After two years of vet school, I received a bachelor of science degree in veterinary medicine.

Do you have a spouse or significant other?
Yes, my boyfriend's name is Adam. He's an elementary school teacher and an avid fisherman — fishes in a lot of tournaments. We've been together for four years.

How did you become interested in veterinary medicine?
When I was 8 years old, I volunteered at the local vet at the end of my street. I'd always had a great interest in animals as far back as I can remember, so it was perfect to have a vet clinic so close by. The vet gave me all sorts of responsibilities, like counting pills and taking care of animals when she went away. She was very encouraging and made me even more excited about becoming a vet.

When did you know you wanted to be a vet?
It must have been around the time I started volunteering at the local vet practice, so when I was about 8 years of age. It was around that time that I started having a lot of pets, too. I knew I had to be around animals all the time, and I liked the feeling of being able to help sick animals through my volunteer work.

What did it take for you to get into vet school? How did you prepare?
It took a lot of hard work and dedication. It was very stressful getting anything below a 4.0, but I had to remind myself that there are a lot of other things that they look at when taking applications, other than grades. Having said that, it's vital to keep your GPA as high as possible. I worked really hard during undergrad, especially in the science courses, and tried to get as much exposure as possible to veterinary medicine, such as volunteering at an emergency clinic and at the humane society. I did a pre-vet summer program at Michigan State, which was a wonderful way to get exposure to vet school, and to prepare for the GRE/MCAT, which are the graduate exams that you have to take before applying to vet school. I also tried to maintain a well-rounded life, so that I didn't always have my head "stuck in a book." I traveled quite a bit before applying to vet school, as I knew that once I was in, I wouldn't be able to take off much time in the near future for doing things like that.

Tell us about yourself. What do you do when you're not studying or involved in cases? What do you love to do?
I am a very self-motivated person. I like to set goals and work toward them. There is nothing more satisfying than achieving your goals. I love to laugh and have fun, even in clinics. I love having my friends around me and hanging out. I like going out on Adam's fishing boat on a beautiful sunny day and reading a book as well as doing a little fishing. I love to ride horses and be around them. I hope to have my own horse when I graduate, and I know I will spend a lot of time doing that. In the wintertime, I like to snowboard as much as possible. If you can't beat the weather here, you have to join it!

Who are your heroes?
James Herriot, the author of All Creatures Great and Small. He writes about his experiences in England as a vet back in the early part of the century. The life of a vet was a lot harder back then! I have read his books over and over again. I cannot think of a more inspiring author. His humbleness, honesty and sense of humor are attributes that I admire greatly.

Describe your pets.
I have a medium-sized mutt called Guinness. We rescued her from the pound in February 2001. She is a really pretty mutt. We thought she should have her own breed so we call her a "Norwegian Leaf Hound"! She was really skinny and frightened when we first saw her. She's now a happy and healthy dog that loves to go on boat rides and chase small animals. I have a cockatiel named Dusky. She's our "guard bird," as she squawks like crazy when anyone comes into our house. I have a guinea pig named Pooky. She's the friendliest guinea pig in the world. Adam takes her to school for his class and the kids play with her all the time. She squeaks every time we open the refrigerator, because she knows that her carrots and lettuce are in there. I have a corn snake called Snakey — not very original, I know!

What's it like working with cameras all the time?
I try not to pay attention to them, so that I'm myself as much as possible. The camera people are so nice and funny, that it's hard sometimes not to interact with them. Sometimes it's nice to have someone there with you and at other times it's stressful. The first few rotations were really tough, as my confidence level was not very high and I was definitely at the bottom of the clinical learning curve. I knew in the back of my mind that I might make mistakes and that the ones that you just want to forget would be recorded, as nothing was going to be missed. Sometimes it was tough trying to explain on camera what I was doing, because I would have to be concentrating so hard in order to do certain things — it was hard talking and doing at the same time. I was a little nervous about how the general public would react when they brought their animals in to us. They were way more receptive to the cameras than I thought!

What advice do you have for those who want to go to vet school?
Work hard and stay focused on your goals. Things will never go smoothly and there will always be obstacles in your way, but if you want something really bad and work for it, it will come true. Try and get as much exposure to the profession as possible. Volunteer at the local vet practice, or at a humane society. Try and find a vet who will be your mentor — there are many willing ones out there!

What are the sacrifices you make for vet school?
I don't spend as much time with my family as I would like. Sometimes vet school has to be put aside when it comes to family, though. I also have struggled with keeping in touch with friends from England and California, which makes me really sad. I had a cockatoo last year that I had to give up, as I could not spend enough time with it.

What sets you apart from the other vet students?
I feel fortunate that I have seen a lot more of the world than a lot of my classmates. I'm glad that my parents gave me so much freedom to make my own decisions and choose my own pathway in life. They never pushed me to be what they wanted me to be — only to work hard at whatever I chose in life. They wanted me to see as much of the world as possible, so I was able to take a year off and travel around Australia and New Zealand the year before vet school. I also traveled around Europe when I was a teen-ager.

What's your favorite way to spend a rainy Saturday?
I like to get a good movie and watch it curled up under the covers, or maybe go out to the movie theater.

What's your favorite TV show?
Everything on Animal Planet, of course! Also, I really like ER, Boston Public and The Sopranos.

What's your favorite vacation ever?
When Adam and I backpacked across New Zealand and Australia. We got off the plane and had absolutely no plan and nowhere to stay. I love spontaneous trips. We hitchhiked and lived out of our tent. We met the most amazing people, saw the whole country and had a terrific time.

If you weren't a veterinarian, what would you be?
That's a hard question. Maybe a schoolteacher. After meeting Adam, it doesn't seem like a bad job at all. You have to love children, teaching and free summers! I don't think anything other than veterinary medicine would fulfill my life, though, as I have wanted to be a vet for such a long time.