How Tatiana Rogers stays at the top of her game
Tatiana is a fresh new face in the world of veterinary medicine. She recently completed business school and received her Masters of Business Administration through Colorado State University's dual degree program, and is working toward becoming a veterinarian from there.
She is currently in her final year as a veterinarian at CSU, and is passionate about bringing real change to veterinary medicine. In particular, Tatiana hopes to improve the mental health of vet students through combating mental health problems in the veterinary world, and by encouraging vet students to strike a healthy balance between school and their personal lives.
She models this on her Instagram page, showing that a life in veterinary medicine can be balanced with other interests, in her case fitness, enjoying the great outdoors, and a generally healthy lifestyle. On top of a balanced lifestyle, she is also an advocate for women in medicine, and has spoken out against gender inequities.
Tatiana's interest in veterinary medicine began at an early age. Raised by a single mother and her grandparents, Tatiana spent her younger days looking for ways to help injured wildlife and stray animals that crossed her path.
She completed her undergraduate studies at University of San Diego, where she pioneered a student organization called Student Outreach and Recruitment. This organization, now multi-collegiate in size, increases awareness of private college opportunities to underrepresented students. This program also helps provide resources to minorities in order to help improve retainment of students, helping more minorities successfully achieve their degrees.
Her role in helping with mental health has also been used to specifically help minorities cope in veterinary medicine. She has shared mental health tips with the LatinX Vet Med Community through Instagram, and continues to support the community in any way she can. As the grandchild of Mexican immigrants, she has helped blaze a path for others who want to join veterinary medicine, without falling into depression often associated with those in care fields.
Her path has been very non-traditional, with a major in Communications Studies and three gap years completing prerequisites and obtaining veterinary experience in order to apply to veterinary school. She is now living her dream as a veterinary student, and is focused on her future as a veterinary entrepreneur.
The world of veterinary medicine will no doubt benefit from having her join the ranks of veterinary professionals, but it's already changing for the better thanks to her. She is a super star in the veterinary world, and has already made exciting and beneficial changes.
We caught up with her to find out more:
If I wasn’t a veterinarian:
If I wasn’t a vet, I would work in finance. I am obsessed about all things business.
Best career advice I received:
Hang tight to your mentors and support system through the ups and downs. There will be difficult days, but it is the people who are on your team and who are rooting for you that will be able to pull out of whatever it is you are going through.
Easiest career decision I made
My first job out of college included working as a kennel attendant at a birds and exotics veterinary hospital. While my job mostly consisted of picking up poop and feeding animals, it was my first job in a veterinary hospital and I couldn’t have been more excited for it becomes I solidified my passion. At the time, I was turned down by several veterinary clinics due to lack of experience, so I was so happy to finally have a job in a clinic.
How I made my first dollar
Ask anyone in my family, I am a born business woman. When I was 7, my mom let me have a lemonade sale in the front yard. My mother gave me a quick tutorial on gross and net revenue that we used to create the perfect price. I have also started several businesses such as dog sitting, dog walking, swim lessons, and fitness coaching. Yes, I am destined to be a CEO!
Books that left a last impression on me
Warren Buffett says that reading 500 pages a day is the key to success and I agree. As a business minded individual, I enjoy reading about money and finance. One of my favorite reads that has left an impression on me is David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell. In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages. I recommend this to anyone who’s interested in running their own company.
How I clear my head after a stressful day
Not only am I obsessed with being financially fit, I am also obsessed with being physically fit, too. When I have a stressful day, I turn to the gym. Exercising releases endorphins so it helps me feel uplifted after a stressful day. Over the years, weightlifting has been my go to, however, with the closure of gyms due to COVID, I’ve picked up a lot of outdoor plyometrics, HIIT, and mastering TikTok dances.
Advice for my younger self
'To thine own self be true' is a line from Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, that I hold dear to my heart.
When I was young, I grew up in a low income minority neighborhood of south central, but, I did go to school in a white neighborhood in Santa Monica. I felt like an outsider and ashamed of my heritage. I spent so much time trying to conceal who I really was. I didn’t want anyone to know I spoke Spanish, and I straighten my naturally curly hair every day before school.
Now that I am older not only to I embrace my heritage culture, I am an advocate for others to do the same. That’s why I am a member of Latinx Veterinary Medical Association and I try to be a role model for others that may be feeling the same way.
I realized that it is this point of differentiation that makes you different, memorable, and sets you apart from your competitors. I love my curls and I love being bilingual!
What everyone should try once in their lifetime:
Everyone should take time to visualize their future. Just close your eyes and sit in silence while you visualize your dreams and your future. Visualizing helps give you direction and motivation to create and start tackling some goals.