I chose to complete a 3-week externship with the Universidad CES in Envigado, Colombia which is a town that borders the large city of Medellín. My mother emigrated from Colombia in the 1980’s due to the safety concerns that she experienced at the time. This trip gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my heritage, offering new personal and professional relationships.
As part of my 2024 summer, I had the opportunity to spend the month of July at the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica. The Toucan Rescue Ranch is a wildlife rescue center committed to the rehabilitation and release of the vast species native to Costa Rica as well as non-native species that have found their way into Costa Rica. These animals are brought to the Toucan Rescue Ranch by environmental government agencies that either confiscate the animals from illegal trafficking/ownership situations or collect injured animals found and reported by locals.
This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend three weeks in Malawi, a beautiful country in Southeast Africa. During my stay at the Lilongwe Wildlife Center, Malawi’s only wildlife sanctuary, I gained invaluable hands-on clinical experience and conducted research alongside veteran wildlife veterinarians.
This summer I traveled to the beautiful country of Rwanda and spent 7 weeks working with veterinarians at the University of Rwanda and New Vision Veterinary Hospital. I was able to assist with sample collections for part of a 3 year research project in Akagera National Park aiming to collect more data on the current levels of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife and domestic species.
This summer, I was fortunate enough to spend many weeks at The Donkey Sanctuary, Ireland. The Donkey Sanctuary is an organization dedicated to improving the welfare of donkeys worldwide.
Last winter break, I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina to work with Dr. Marcela Uhart and Dr. Ralph Vanstreels. I spent most of my time in Camarones, a quiet seaside fishing community, where I was instantly greeted by the beautiful coastlines of Patagonia.
