Stephanie Austin

5th Year Student

I was born and raised in the heart of Sydney’s North shore suburbs, where at the age of 6 I begged my Mum for a horse. Where on earth we were going to put it; our tiny townhouse backyard was not much bigger than my bedroom, but I didn’t care! I was insistent and eventually wore my poor Mum down! But the infatuation with animals great and small didn’t begin there… before I had any physical pets, there were pet rocks, imaginary pets, and my favourite teddy was constantly having ‘surgery’ for some reason or another and was always covered in bandages.

I don’t remember a time we didn’t have some sort of pet (or 5!) in our house.

I started riding competitively not long after getting my first horse, and with that came the desire to learn about animal health and medicine on a larger scale.

I always thought I’d like to write a book and thought if I did it would be titled something like, ‘From Mosman to Mooloolaba, and Murdoch to Manhattan’, to symbolize the places I’ve lived in my short life!

What was your grossest experience while studying to be a vet?
I think our tolerance for gross things far outweighs the normal person’s tolerance; doing rectal exams don’t seem to phase many vet students. You proceed to tell a story about why you have a ring shaped bruise around your upper arm to any non-vet/non-vet student that you know and you get crazy, disgusted looks, like you’re some kind of freak!
But that’s just normal for us!

What inspired you to become a Vet?
I’ve always wanted to make a difference, I always thought one person could change the world if they really tried, I wanted to be important enough that people would listen to me, and maybe I could change the world.

What’s the most challenging part of Vet School?
Surviving! Each day, week, month and year are a challenge. I was told that Vet school is like the army. They push you until you break and if you can’t handle it, you suck it up or get out. That’s not too far from the truth. It’s a mental game. And you are the only one that can keep yourself afloat as it’s not that easy, especially during exams!