Dear Wellesley: Emma Goodman '17 Writes from New York City Where She’s Interning with the Animal Medical Center (AMC)

The next note in our 2016 Summer Postcard Series comes from Emma Goodman '17 in New York City, where she’s participating in a Global Engagement Internship through Wellesley's Center for Work and Service. Her internship is funded by the Raquet Family Foundation.

Dear Wellesley,

Hi from New York City! I hope everyone's summer has been rewarding, exciting, and relaxing, especially as we head into fall and the chaos of the academic year.

For those of you who know me, you know I love animals: dogs, cats, pandas, sea lions–the list goes on. And for those of you who don't know me, it wouldn't take long for you to realize, and label me as a crazy cat lady. So it should come as no surprise that I have spent the last two months working at the Animal Medical Center (AMC), a leading academic veterinary hospital in New York City's Upper East Side. The AMC is analogous to a human teaching hospital, offering many of the medical specialties commonly associated with human medicine, such as cardiology, ophthalmology, and neurology. This summer I shadowed and assisted veterinarians in the oncology, dermatology, exotics and rehabilitative medicine departments!

Our pets develop many of the same diseases as we do and the AMC is equipped to treat these conditions in our pets as we would for a human. For example, the AMC's Cancer Institute houses the hospital's oncology services, where dogs and cats receive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy. Additionally, the rehabilitative and integrative medicine services aim to improve pets’ quality of life and mobility through treatments such as acupuncture, underwater treadmill exercises, and therapeutic laser therapy. Pets receiving these therapies are often arthritic, obese, elderly, or post-surgical patients. I sometimes joke that I am jealous of the rehab patients’ deep tissue massages...

At the AMC, I've observed myriad medically interesting cases and therapies. My experiences this summer have reaffirmed my desire to become a veterinarian. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to spend my summer doing what I love, surrounded by people (and animals) who share my sentiment.

Living in New York has been great, too. I have access to 24-hour boba, bagels, and ramen, right in my backyard. (It really is the city that never sleeps). Thankfully, I also have friends who tell me to refrain from 4 am diner runs. But in all seriousness, New York is wonderful. The shopping, the food, the museums, and the people. There is an aura of limitless possibility here that I have yet to encounter elsewhere.

As I prepare for my senior year at Wellesley, I have mixed feelings. I am nervous and excited for what is to come; and I am honestly stunned that college has flown by as fast as it has. First year, if you had asked me if I’d miss Wellesley after graduation, I probably would have said 'no.' However, as I take steps toward the 'real world' and watch my friends who have already graduated, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. I do not know where I will be or what I will be doing a year from now, but I am certain that the lessons I learned and the friends I made at Wellesley will follow me.

Wellesley, I'll see you soon!

All the best,

Emma Goodman '17