Many future veterinarians embrace their calling at a young age, and Melanie Narvaez was definitely one of them. However, it wasn’t until she worked at a veterinary clinic as an undergraduate that she knew she was where she was meant to be.
As Narvaez began to enjoy building relationships with clients and watching clients interact with their pets, her passion for veterinary medicine grew.
“When owners would pick up their pets after a long day, they just lit up.” It was then that she chose this profession.
Her four years as a veterinary student exposed her to a variety of species, and she has enjoyed learning lessons that she could apply equally to a horse and a guinea pig. As a result, she enters practice “interested in any small animal and zoo companion animal, as well as pigs and chickens!”
In July, Dr. Narvaez will join the Hyde Park Animal Clinic in Chicago as an associate veterinarian. There, she will practice small animal and zoo companion medicine.
Culture and Accessibility
As a Latina from the South Side of Chicago, Narvaez used her cultural heritage to her advantage during her veterinary studies. For example, she has served as a translator for Spanish-speaking clients. Especially during her clinical year, Narvaez was able to “exercise the importance of accessibility” by translating appointments and other information for clients.
She brought her Latina heritage into her extracurriculars, too.
Narvaez served as president of the student Latinx Veterinary Club from 2022 to 2024. In this role, she emphasized the importance of learning about other languages and cultures.
“There aren’t that many vet students who are Latinx,” she noted, “I wanted to use my background to represent that missing perspective that is needed in vet med.”
Providing leadership to the Latinx Club was a highlight of veterinary school for Narvaez. She also participated in other clubs, including VOICE, which works to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in veterinary medicine.
As a member of the outreach program “How We Role,” Narvaez mentored grade school children about veterinary medicine.
“The [students] were predominantly people of color, so that was really nice to be able to show that representation and get them exposed to vet med.”
Get Involved to Make an Impact
One of the things Narvaez is most excited about is her role at the Hyde Park Animal Clinic, which includes the outreach they do at local schools and their low-cost vaccine clinics. She hopes to take part in these programs.
Narvaez said her extracurricular activities during vet school allowed her to grow her leadership skills and network with other students that she wouldn’t have met otherwise. She considers her high level of involvement to be the “best thing” she could’ve done these past four years and advises other students to do the same.
“Sometimes it’s easy to stay in our bubble,” she said, “and it is important to emphasize your education. But I also think it’s important to be as involved as possible. You gain skills by working with students to make a difference in the school and you also leave your impact.”
By Megan Krok
