When did you realize you wanted to become a veterinarian, and what motivated or inspired you to pursue it?
Dr. Mike Valle: I have known that I wanted to be a vet since like the 7th grade really. I've watched all the shows growing up, and whenever we had class pets I was always the first to volunteer to take them home. I even gave up baseball, a sport that I was very serious about and I actually got scouted by colleges at one point; however, in order to pursue this career, I decided to stop playing that and focus on becoming a veterinarian because it was and still is my dream career.
What was the most challenging part of your journey so far?
Dr. Mike Valle: I applied to about seven different vet schools, and I think the most challenging part was waiting for a response. Ross was one of the first schools I heard back from, and others I had gotten waitlisted for, but Ross seemed intriguing and a good fit for me. It was also difficult because I did not try as hard as I could have when I was an undergrad, although I managed to maintain a good GPA, and once I got to vet school I had to completely change my mentality and be extremely focused because of the challenging tasks and assignments involved in the process.
What is the most impactful experience you’ve had so far throughout vet school, and why do you think this experience impacted you and your future career?
Dr. Mike Valle: Working hands-on with the animals is what impacted me the most, especially this one experience I had when we rescued several greyhounds, and I ended up adopting one of them because of the extremely strong and loving connection I had built with him during this rescue experience. It was amazing to see the transition these dogs went through because they had never been in a real home before and they were in very poor shape, so to see how we were able to turn their lives around and make such a big difference was very impactful.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into vet school and pursue veterinary medicine?
Dr. Mike Valle: Veterinary students have one of the highest suicide rates because of how stressful, overwhelming, and challenging the process of becoming a veterinarian is, so it is very important to have a solid support system around you. Having friends and family you can lean on during the most stressful and challenging moments of this process truly is key to being successful because that support system will help keep you in dealing with this challenging process.
