Meet Maddie Zutz, the trailblazer creating big, bold change
Maddie Zutz is a second-year veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She is passionate about food animal production medicine and hopes to incorporate either research or regulation into her career pathway.
Her passion for veterinary medicine goes a long way but may have gotten a boost from one of her earliest jobs working at a farm. Maddie would get up at 3AM in order to be at a farm job at 4AM mucking stalls and preparing cows for milking. These fond memories helped build her dream of becoming a veterinarian and specializing in food animals.
Her go to life advice
While Maddie is still in school and hasn’t quite gotten great career advice yet, she did get advice related to schooling that she will no doubt use the rest of her life. As a farm animal lover, Maddie Zutz was hoping to get two top FFA (Future Farmer’s of America) positions in school.
Although she put in her very best effort, she did not get one of those positions. Her advisor in high school advised, "It doesn't matter the title you have, but rather what you do with it".
Instead of simply folding into the role she got, Maddie Zutz made the most of what she was given. In speaking about this position to Vet Candy, Maddie said,
“While we might not always get the promotion we want, the position on a board, or even the optimal job we were hoping for; we always have the opportunity to make the most of what we do have. Sometimes this "subpar" position we are in is actually right where we need to be and getting us even close to our true destination.“
This is truly valuable advice, and useful whether you are in school or in your career.
Handling stressful days
Like most veterinary students, Maddie is no stranger to a stressful day. When studies get her down, she finds reading to be one of the best outlets to release stress. Books let you escape the world, and give you a break from the realities of life.
She especially likes books by James Herriot, with classics like, “All Creatures Great and Small,” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”
Maddie Zutz loves her work, but also recognizes that large animal medicine is a male dominated field. If she could ever give advice to her younger self, it’s to remind her that she can do anything she is passionate about.
Maddie has always been happiest when around farm animals, whether that was showing rabbits or raising pigs. Although it has taken her years to get there, she is now confident this is the field she belongs in.
Go with your passion!
Her last bit of advice is one we could all use in life. “If you want the world to change, it starts with you.” It’s true that veterinary medicine is a male dominated field, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change. If veterinary medicine is what you are passionate about, don’t let anything stop you.
Follow Maddie on Instagram by clicking on the link below: