Dr. Raven Jackson's recipe for finding joy in your life
Most people go through their childhood unsure of who they want to be when they grow up. Dr. Raven Jackson is one of the few women lucky enough to have known what they wanted to be from a very early age. Her big dream was to follow in Jane Goodall’s footsteps, and work with chimpanzees as an adult.
Today, she has followed that dream. Dr. Jackson now works at the Chimp Haven and is friends to over 300 primates. The chimpanzees who make the Chimp Haven her home love her—even when her visits sometimes come with needles. It’s a powerful thing to have a great relationship with so many of our closest cousins, and Dr. Jackson is one of the best.
Like most veterinarians, her road to following her dream came with several bumps along the path. As an African American, she had no black role models in the veterinary field to guide her way. What she did have however, was a loving father who loved and supported her unconditionally.
Her father was a major role model for her growing up, and a hero not just to her but to friends in her community that didn’t have solid role models. Thanks to him, Dr. Jackson developed the confidence to seek out her dreams, as big and bold as they were.
A brush with death
Dr. Jackson’s father loved and supported her through college, and making the incredibly difficult decision to take the vacancy at the Chimp Haven just one year after completing her doctorate. After she signed on for the job however, her father needed care for an end-stage disease.
Taking care of him and 300 chimpanzees was very difficult, and Dr. Jackson put her own health on the backburner until he passed away. Dr. Jackson ended up being hospitalized the day of the funeral, with Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens Johnson syndrome. She had a 37% chance of survival.
This brush with death inspired her to become more vocal about her needs and wants, and for those she was responsible for. Losing her voice and being dependent on others to speak for her made her realize she never wanted to lose that voice again.
A look at the industry
Dr. Jackson has achieved many of her dreams, and it’s safe to say there are little girls who dream of being her one day. With that in mind she has a few tips for those in the industry, as well as those who are seeking it out.
One of the best career pointers she got through her life is this gentle reminder: “There is life after work.”
Many veterinarians and other people in the care industry get swallowed up by their jobs and give everything they have to it. When you give everything you have at work, it’s common to be too mentally exhausted to give back to yourself when the day is done.
After a busy day of helping animals, it’s important to let the day be done when you leave work. As the primary caretaker of over 300 primates, it’s easy for Dr. Jackson to carry the day’s work home with her. She’s learning every day that setting professional boundaries is important to her own self care.
For young people aspiring to become veterinarians, she offers this advice. Dismiss society’s definition of success and stand firm in your personal values and vision. Only you can decide what is best for you and your career, and don’t let anything stop you.
Dr. Raven would love to see changes in the world and in the industry. She believes that the world should operate from a base of love and self-accountability. In the veterinary industry itself, she thinks diversity and inclusion are important changes that need to be made. Right now vet medicine is the whitest career. New voices could help improve medicine for the better.
Dr. Jackson is an amazing veterinarian who continues to live her dream at the Chimp Haven each and every day. She is a wonderful role model for young children who hope to work with chimps one day, as well as anyone who hopes to follow their dreams.