My Mother-in-Law
How does your MIL inspire you?
I admit that most people probably wouldn't include their MIL on their list of top 10 people who inspire them but I fully believe I got lucky with my entire in-law family. Rebecca has been supportive in more ways than one of my ambitions in becoming a physical therapist. I might have made it this far without her but it would have taken a lot longer to get here, with even more obstacles along the way.
My MIL is a go-getter! She has been very successful in her career as a large animal veterinarian: being involved with community organizations while a student, holding leadership roles as a student, opening a specialized hospital, serving as AVMA Vice President, and inspiring countless numbers of veterinary students along the way. On top of all that, she makes plenty of time to see family and friends and just enjoy life. I hope that one day I’ll be able to advance in my career with the same confidence, mutual respect, and work-life balance that she does.
Image courtesy of Dr. Stinson.
Is there one thing that inspires you the most?
Before meeting Rebecca, I hadn’t really been exposed to what it means to be in a profession, as opposed to a career or job. Seeing the magnified impact she’s been able to have by being a part of her professional organization, whether it’s been as a board member, delegate, committee member, or part of the workforce, has sparked my interest in making a difference in my own profession. It’s very difficult to achieve this while actively in school but I’ll keep doing what I can!
What’s your favorite memory with her?
Every once in a while, I have the privilege of riding along with Rebecca on her emergency vet calls and I’ve loved them all. It’s not a very traditional bonding activity but the ride allows us to have meaningful conversations. I also get to learn a lot, see really interesting things, and meet people who live in the community.
There’s one more memory that sticks out as a moment when I realized how useful strong leadership skills can be outside of official leadership positions. We were out and about doing Black Friday Shopping years ago when we got caught up in a bit of a traffic jam. There was a fender bender incident blocking the exit of the parking lot we were trying to enter and a constant stream of cars exiting through the entry lane. As you can imagine, this created a long line of cars waiting to get in who couldn’t. My MIL got out of our car, in the rain, and directed traffic until the flow was relieved. It’s a small action that she took, but it’s always stuck out as an impressive one to me.
