A Passion Born in a Saddle
When she was 6 years old, Gina Kowalewicz rode a horse for the first time.
Her family owned horses, and as Kowalewicz grew up, the horses grew alongside her. She was no stranger to their ongoing medical needs, observing the visiting veterinarians who made a difference in the horses’ lives — and her own.
“That’s where this spark started,” Kowalewicz said. “And so I always knew when I started vet school that I wanted to work with horses, and everyone was always like, ‘Oh, you’ll change your mind. People always do.’ But that passion has grown even more; I can’t imagine working on anything other than a horse.”
More Than Medicine
Connectivity is one of the most rewarding aspects in veterinary medicine for Kowalewicz. She said there’s a certain quality to relationships between equine and large animal veterinarians and the clientele they care for.
She attributed that connection to the fact that these veterinarians “get to go to the farms or the boarding facilities and really see the horses in their environment — truly see them at all stages of their lives.”
That connection can be severed in challenging cases where the animal doesn’t survive due to extenuating circumstances, like when a horse’s condition progresses past the point that veterinary care can address or when the owner can’t afford to pursue further care. But Kowalewicz said that doesn’t mean either side doesn’t care.
Veterinarians very much care for their patients and owners. They wouldn’t be able to tackle the job if they didn’t, according to Kowalewicz.
“I feel like everyone in vet med is book smart; we wouldn’t be here if we weren’t,” Kowalewicz said. “But emotional IQ plays such a big role in our field. We have to understand the different circumstances the owners, pets, and even livestock are coming from. We have to empathize with these circumstances and make a plan based on them … while trying not to let that heaviness get to you but taking that heaviness and morphing it into something better. My goal will always be to improve the health of the animals I treat.”
Taking on the Real World
After graduation, Kowalewicz will head to Wauconda, Illinois, just a three-hour drive north. She signed with Northern Lakes Equine Practice to complete a one-year equine internship.
Kowalewicz started building a relationship with the clinic during her second or third year in the DVM program because the clinic participated in a lunch lecture at the college.
She also credits having professors and clinicians with remarkable experience who teach and give advice as benefiting her over the past four years.
“Everything sounds cookie-cutter, great in a book, but animals don’t read the book,” Kowalewicz said. “Fourth-years learn how everything should be but then see how it actually is in the real world. Having clinicians who are really experienced and able to give you that real-world view has been extremely helpful.”
The Veterinary Medicine Journey
Working in veterinary medicine can quickly become tiring. On clinical rotations, a student can be at the school over 20 hours a day at times, according to Kowalewicz, assisting with cases.
But for her, prioritizing her mental outlook helped everything else fall into place. To do so, she focused on exercising, whether at the gym or taking her dog for a one-mile walk, even if it meant sacrificing sleep.
“Being outside always helps reset the stress level, reset the emotions from the day, and bring me back to square one to a positive, clear mind,” Kowalewicz said.
It’s been a long journey for Kowalewicz, but as she moves on to the next chapter in her life, she leaves prospective veterinary medicine students with a piece of advice.
“You’re expected to have growth,” Kowalewicz said. “You’re not expected to have it all figured out at the beginning, no matter how much experience people come in with. It’s awesome and preferred to come in with experience, but if you knew everything at that point, then you wouldn’t need to go through the four years. You would already be a doctor. You will never stop learning.”
By Chloe Barbarise
