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Doctor of Veterinary Medicine – Class of 2015

What are your hobbies?
Hiking, baking, reading, gardening, exploring new places, and dancing and singing (poorly, often in the car or shower, and sometimes publicly – but always with enthusiasm!) 

Favourite place to eat in ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø? 
Ying Chow on Gouger Street 

If I could go back to my university days, I would ...
Have a brilliant time! I wouldn’t really change anything. I feel like I took up as many opportunities as I could in both the course and on campus. I worked hard, pushed my limits, and had a lot of fun. It was an incredibly formative experience, with excellent people.

Most prized possession? 
A crocheted moustachioed lemon. It was made by a friend and I won it in a silent auction whilst working at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, in NSW.

I can’t get enough of ...
Being out in the sun (especially after surviving my first freezing Ithacan winter).

Something that makes you smile? 
Stumbling across something beautiful and unexpected. 

Something you are grateful for?
My family and close friends, among them the girls of the Oates house on campus, Tif, Emma, Magda and Amber, who are a massive part of why vet school was such a joy, and the key to how I got through times of intense stress and hardship.

Also, I’m profoundly grateful to Lucy Woolford – aside from indirectly helping me by being an incredible and inspiring teacher, and an amazing pathologist, she also directly helped me countless times, in various ways, in getting me get to where I am now – she has been instrumental in my career path.

If I could pursue a different career I would ...
Be outdoors surrounded by plants, not sure in what capacity – a botanist? Forest ranger? Plant pathologist? Really though, I wouldn’t change – I love vet pathology. It’s opened so many doors, at home and internationally, to things I hadn’t even conceived of in vet school. 

The most valuable lesson I have learned ...
Be honest and authentic in pursuing your interests, and make the most of every opportunity (that also means seeking out opportunities) – that may mean changing paths as I did, after almost two years in small animal practice. You may not reach your goals immediately, but that’s fine; if you persist, and are curious, flexible and adaptable, you’ll get there eventually, and learn a lot along the way.

I cannot get through the day without ...
Tea (will make an exception if camping or travelling).

Three words your closest friends would use to describe you?
Fun, caring, neurotic. 

Your definition of success?
Living authentically, doing good to others and yourself, finding things to be curious and joyful about.

My mother taught me ...
What it means to be loved unconditionally, and what it is to be a truly selfless, caring person.

Your career path in two sentences or less?
Opening every door I could, agonising over which path to take, and then fina