Interview response

On the day of my job shadow at Sterner Veterinary clinic, I asked large animal veterinarian Dr. Lisa Sanford the questions I came up with. Her responses weren’t quite what I was expecting.

1. What are your views on 4-H, do you think it helps set the future for a career in large animal medicine? “I think that it gives you a better chance for colleges to look at you, but to get into vet school you have to have the grades to go along with it.”
2. How did you end up deciding on large animal medicine? “It was something I was interested in because I’ve always loved animals, but it ended up turning into something more than just the animals.”
3. What’s your favorite part about working in this field? “My favorite part is probably being able to help producers solve their problems. Each animal I end up helping saves farmers money in the long run.”
4. Would you consider this to be a passion of yours? “Considering this is a job I went through a lot stress for, of course this is a passion of mine.”
5. What was the hardest part of getting to where you are today? “Definitely vet school, it was probably the hardest thing I’ve gone through, if you asked me to go through it all again I’m not quite sure I would.”
6. What’s your favorite part of this job? “Every day of this job, I solve problems and help people and their animals. That always outweighs the hard days.”
7. Is this what you imagined yourself doing when you were younger? “Yes, it started off as my love for animals, that’s what got me here today. Although most people don’t realize that being a vet also requires you to deal with people constantly, not just their animals.”

Out of all the questions I asked her, her response to number 3 really surprised me. I guess I was excepting the typical, “I love helping the animals!” Kind of answer, which was not the case. Talking to Dr. Sanford really made me see that it’s more dealing with the owners of the animals, rather than the animals themselves.

Reflection

When I first started this project, all I could think about it was, “Oh man Ms. Ward, another project to do, really?” It just seemed like another pointless thing to stress over and procrastinate it until the last minute. But, after looking into it, something sparked inside of me. The realization that this project allows me to involve myself in the things I love most, and share it with the world made me want to show people that my passions aren’t just a hobby for me. 4-H is my life, and large animal medicine has been my dream for as long as I can remember.

The day that I did my job shadow at Sterner Veterinary clinic, I was beyond nervous. Talking to strangers isn’t one of my strengths. I was more or less expecting to be shoved in a corner somewhere and to awkwardly stand while the vets did their job, but that was not the case at all. Dr. Sanford asked me about my life, this project, and was genuinely interested in my passion for animals. I rode along with Dr. Rick Kramer, who used to be friends with my aunt Dianne, (Ionia is a small town). He is the nicest person I have ever come across, he answered each of my stupid little questions and didn’t doubt that I would be a good helper. He put me right to work, flipping full grown cows on their backs and having me hold their legs. Riding along with him just fueled my passion to become what I’ve always dreamed of further.

So yes, I expected this to just be another school project I would end up ignoring, but it turned into something much more than that. I finally see that my involvement in 4-H is the reason my passion for this has held on so long, and that my love and interest in animals will only keep growing the older I get.

As 4-H is the biggest part of my life and the reason I’m doing this project, I decided to share some photos of my friends and I who are in my 4-H group working with our animals.

This is a picture of my 4-H group member Calli and her cow Reba.

This is a picture of my favorite cow I’m taking to fair, Hera.

A picture of my 4-H group member and her cow Gamora.

This is the dairy feeder calf I’m selling at Ionia Free Fair, Drax.

Another one of Drax and I.

Interview questions

As a requirement of the #IonPassion project in my 10th grade english class, I have to interview someone who is involved in the field of work my passion is centered around. I plan on asking a large animal veterinarian at Sterner veterinary clinic 7 questions that have to do with my project.

1. What are your views on 4-H, do you think it helps set the future for a career in large animal medicine?
2. How did you end up deciding on large animal medicine?
3. What’s your favorite part about working in this field?
4. Would you consider this to be a passion of yours?
5. What was the hardest part of getting to where you are today?
6. What’s your least favorite part of your job?
7. Is this what you imagined yourself doing when you were younger?