A: It was just something that I knew I always wanted to do. Since I was six years old I remember wanting to be a vet and I never changed my mind about it. My mom and dad were raised in Louisiana on farms. When they moved to inner-city Chicago, where I was born, they always surrounded me with dogs, goats and chickens.. Then at 6 years old, we moved to Michigan and I became surrounded by cows, horses, goats and many other large animals which made me want to work with large animals.
Q: What did you like about attending Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine?
A: Being from Michigan, it was an obvious choice for me to go to Michigan State. When I got into veterinary medicine, it was hard for me because my mom and dad didn’t really want me to keep going to college since I was the only one of all the kids that went. But there were some clinicians who really helped mentor and push me along.
I got interested in public health and government when I had the opportunity to work with government and public health veterinarians during an outbreak in Michigan.
A: If there were no positions available in any type of veterinary clinic or hospital, what would you do?
The main reason for this question is because I want students to realize that there are so many more opportunities in veterinary medicine than in clinical settings. Veterinary schools don’t always expose these other fields of veterinary medicine that well and I want to try to reach out to students to let them know that you don't have to work in a clinical setting as a veterinarian. We can do so many things with our degree and I want to make sure students are exposed to all of these fields.
Q: How did you make yourself stand out as an applicant to veterinary school?
A: I remember during my interview, I told them I was raised on a farm and wanted to work with large animals. I am pretty petite (about 5'2"-5'3") and one of the interviewers told me “I don’t see you being someone who is comfortable with horses.” I told her “that’s the thing, I can do things that people don’t think I can.” I told them I could break a horse, flip a sheep and do all these different things since I was raised with them.
Q: What are you passionate about in terms of your specialty?
A: I am involved with animal welfare especially with horses in this country. At times, it can be frustrating and tense in different environments because people can get upset when we tell them that they are in violation of the law. However, if we do not notify and penalize these individuals, these horses are going to continue to get abused. What’s nice is that I’m not just treating one animal at a time - I am trying to help all the horses in the country.
I am also passionate about maintaining diversity. Being a horse vet, I am often times the only non-Caucasian person in meetings and gatherings. I know I'm not the only person of color that was interested in being a horse vet so I want to help those to live out their career dream as well.
It’s so necessary for kids and undergraduates to see the diversity we do have of veterinarians like us so they can know that they can be one as well. Just like President Obama: kids see that there can be a black president and think that they could be the President someday too.
Q: What do you want the attendees to leave with after your presentation at the conference this October?
A: The main thing is that there are other careers out there other than private practice in veterinary medicine. People are often concerned with the fact that if they work in government, they won’t make much money. With any job, in the beginning you may not, but in the government, you receive exceptional benefits and can definitely excel to the salary you wish to have. I also want to let the attendees especially aspiring veterinarians how I got to where I’m at because it was not easy however I wouldn't change anything because I have the most rewarding career ever!
You can learn more about Dr. Rachel Cezar by following this link. Don't miss the opportunity to meet Dr. Cezar in person at the conference for her presentation on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11. To register for the conference, please click here.