LVMA Panel Discussion: What it Means to be Latinx in Veterinary Medicine

Today's episode is a little different. This recording comes from a live panel discussion for the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association during Hispanic Heritage Month moderated by Vet Life Reimagined host, Dr. Megan Sprinkle. Hear directly from incredible voices across veterinary medicine including:

• Ashtri Bonaparte, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)
• Valerie Marcano, DVM, PhD, DACPV, co-founder of Pawsibilities Vet Med
• Miguel Ortiz, DVM, MID, DACVPM, FFCP
• Maria Jose Navarrete Talloni, DVM, MPVM, PhD
• Javier G. Nevarez, DVM, PhD, DACZM, DECZM (Herpetology)

Dr. Valerie Marcano and Paul Miranda have both been guests on the podcast in the past, their episodes are linked here. 

You'll hear stories of resilience, belonging, identity, and mentorship from veterinarians and professionals who are shaping the future of our field. Veterinary medicine is stronger when we embrace diversity, empathy, and community. 

Resources:

• Video episode on YouTube
• Latinx Veterinary Medical Association website
• Pawsibilities Vet Med website
• ACVIM diversity initiatives

Transcript

Megan Sprinkle: [00:00:00] Welcome to Vet Life Reimagined. Today's episode is a little different and very special. This recording comes from a live panel discussion. I had the honor of moderating for the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association during Hispanic Heritage Month. The LVMA hosted a series of celebratory events, and this conversation, what it means to be Latinx in veterinary medicine was one of the highlights.

The LVMA kindly allowed me to share this discussion here on the podcast so that the Vet Life Reimagined audience could hear directly from some incredible voices across veterinary medicine,

I’ll let them introduce themselves here in a minute, but two of the panelists. Dr. Valerie Marcano and Paul Miranda have both been on the podcast in the past, so I will link their episodes in the show notes. You'll hear stories of resilience, belonging, identity, and mentorship from veterinarians and professionals who are shaping the future of our field.

And while this conversation offers [00:01:00] support to those who identify as Latinx, anyone in Vet Med can walk away with valuable takeaways. Veterinary medicine is stronger when we embrace diversity, empathy, and community. I'm deeply grateful to the LVMA for inviting me to host this event and for their ongoing work in creating spaces for visibility, connection, and celebration across the veterinary profession.

Here is the powerful conversation on what it means to be Latinx in veterinary medicine. Recorded live as part of the L VMAs Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.

All right. I saw a flash that the webinar has started, so I'm gonna go ahead and introduce myself so you know who's talking. Really quickly, I'm Dr. Megan Sprinkle. I'm a boarded veterinary nutritionist, but. Really, one of the, my favorite things that I get to do is I have a podcast called Vet Life Reimagined, and I'm very passionate about [00:02:00] sharing personal individual journeys in veterinary medicine so we can really show the diversity of things that are out there.

So if you're here to understand about possibilities and learning more about, uh, veterinary medicine, what's out there and learn from your colleagues, you're in the right place.  So our, Webinar tonight is part of a series of events that the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association has been putting together.

They've been very excited about this webinar and we are gonna discuss what it means to be Latinx in veterinary medicine. Because we've got five great panelists, and I wanna make sure that we have plenty of time for conversation. I'm gonna go ahead and let the panelists introduce themselves in a fun way.

If you don't mind, I know your name is on your little square, but if you don't mind sharing your name and where you are in veterinary medicine. Like I [00:03:00] said, it's really fun to see all the different things people do in, in Vet Med. So if you mind sharing a little bit about, your current role, that would be fantastic.

And I'm going to start with Javier, our alligator doctor. 

Javier G. Nevarez: Hello everyone. Uh, my name is Javier Nevarez. I'm originally from Puerto Rico. I'm currently a professor of Zoological medicine at the LSU School of Veterinarian Medicine. I came to Baton Rouge 31 years ago to do undergraduate, animal science pre-vet program and never left.

I've been here ever since. I cannot go too far north because I do not like the cold. So Luciana is just fine by me and we have good food down here. So, uh, I thoroughly enjoy being here in the state. 

Megan Sprinkle: How about Maria? You're next on my, my lineup. 

Maria Jose Navarrete Talloni: All right, so hi everyone. My name is Maria Jose Navarrete. I recently moved to, long Island in [00:04:00] New York, so I arrived three months ago. I'm an associate professor of Anomic Pathology and also I am an assistant dean for student success at Long Island University.

Uh, so I'm, you know, like very excited to be here. So thanks a lot for your invitation. So, anatomic pathology and everything that has to do with student success is my area. 

Megan Sprinkle: Student success. That's awesome. And you've done a lot of DEI also in your career too, so very relevant for tonight. You'll have a lot.

Exactly. 

Maria Jose Navarrete Talloni: Yeah. So that comes into the student success and that part. So, my career, my big passion is diversity, equity, and inclusion. And that's why I knew a few of the people here in the panel. And we have connected and we have been doing a lot of work in a multicultural communication. So yeah, it's been a, an a really cool ride.

Fantastic. Well, thank 

Megan Sprinkle: you, um, Ashley, you're next.

Ashtri Bonaparte: Hey [00:05:00] everyone. Good afternoon. I am Astri Bonaparte. I'm actually in California, so hopefully some West Coast people are on the, , line. Um, I am originally from New York City. I was born and raised there. , I'm first generation Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian. , I did move to California to pursue small animal internal medicine.

So I am an internist, and I am the head of the internal medicine department here at VCA West Coast in Fountain Valley, California. And I'm also a committee member for the DEI committee of the A-C-V-I-M. Um, it's a brand new committee that was just started last year, so we're kind of like in year two, um, going in and we have a bunch of new initiatives, , really revamping what it means to be diverse and equitable and, , inclusive in, , specialty medicine.

Megan Sprinkle: Excellent. And Paul. 

 Paul Miranda: Yeah. I, I [00:06:00] am COO of Latinx, VMA, uh, also during the day, I am a director of ops with formerly Mission Vet Partners now Mission Pet Health. I oversee about 25 hospitals, uh, in the, the Midwest.

Uh, Cuban, uh, grew up in Miami and now live in the Midwest. So big difference. 

Megan Sprinkle: I, I'm the other way around. I was in the Midwest and then came to Miami, but love how we are really representing the, , coast to coast here.

Thank you Paul. And, uh, Valerie. 

Valerie Marcano: Hello, uh, I'm Valerie Marcano and I am. I dunno. I do a little bit of everything. I am in North Carolina; I have my own consulting business. I'm boarded in poultry [00:07:00] medicine and I started, um, along with my husband, we co-founded Pawsibilities Vet Met, which is a nonprofit that does a lot of work in, , DEI and in mentorship.

And I've been, um, really happy to get to work with a lot of you that are here, including Maria Jose, who's one of the members of our board of directors and Miguel, who is one of our mentors within our community. So yeah. Thank you for having me. 

Megan Sprinkle: Awesome. Speaking of Miguel.

Miguel Ortiz: Hello everybody. Hi. Um, my name's Miguel Ortiz. I'm originally from Guatemala. And I moved to the States , 31 years ago, actually much like, Javier in 94. I went very north, I mean in, I went to the cold in Indiana.  I went to school at Purdue and I started practicing small animal medicine after school in Seattle.

So I went all the way out west coast. And now family and circumstances have brought [00:08:00] me back to the Midwest, but I went a little bit past Indiana. I'm in Pittsburgh now. I went back to school and, uh, did a master's in international development during COVID actually, uh, which led into getting boarded in preventive medicine last year, which was really great.

And my day-to-day, I am, I'm small. General practitioner here in Pittsburgh, which is, which is great. And just great to see everybody. Good to see some colleagues here and excited for this conversation. 

Megan Sprinkle: Awesome. You really did go all over.  Well, if anybody is familiar with my podcast, one of the, uh, my favorite questions to start with is actually when did you know you wanted to get into veterinary medicine?

So, I, I wanna actually talk about, um. When all of you started even thinking about veterinary medicine and so I wanted to start with Javier, did you always know you wanted to be an alligator veterinarian? I, and I [00:09:00] keep calling you alligator veterinary, but um, was zoo medicine a a, an interest?

Always, but when did you first know that you wanted to start pursuing veterinary medicine? 

Javier G. Nevarez: So, I, I, you know, that's a great question because, you know, my trajectory is kind of funny, but, uh, you know, I, I've grown up in Puerto Rico. I, I lived in the beach a lot. I, I sailed a lot, so I always saw a lot of, you know, manatees and sea turtles.

So I was attracted to that and I kind of wanted to go the marine biology path. Uh, but then I was like, no, that's really not for me. And then vet med was it from there, but. I really wanted to do food animal and equine. So I was actually a big food animal person in animal science. I still enjoy doing food animal work more than I do dogs and cats.

I love my dogs and cats, but if they get sick, I drop them off at the vet, give them the credit card and I leave. Uh, I had no business doing anything to them. , , and then once I got into vet school, , I started working with our Raptor and Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit. And then that was it. You know, from, from that moment on, I used to think that that exotic animal veterinarians were quacked, that they didn't know what they were [00:10:00] doing.

So here I am. , So that's always a life lesson, , not to judge, , some of us learning the hard way. Uh, but, um, yeah, it, it just kind of carried off from there. And, and I never looked back. And, I never thought I would be doing alligator medicine. I, finished vet school. I did an internship at LSU. I did not get a residency.

, And then an opportunity came about to, to do a PhD and, and start working with, with the alligators. And it's just one of those things that I've always had that personality and that drive to, to take advantage of the opportunities presented. So when the door opens, I walk and, you know, make the most of it.

So, um, yeah, it is definitely been a fun path. I, I definitely enjoy it and, and it allows me to mix that food animal side of things because the alligators are production animals, they're still a food animal kind of situation. So it's funny how those, those interests eventually join, you know, and I tell that to the students, everything you do in life is gonna come to play at some point.

It might not be 5, 10, 15 years from now, but every experience that you do in life is gonna help you at some point in [00:11:00] your career or your life. So, so enjoy it. , Keep it in mind because you never know when you're gonna use that tool in, in your daily work. 

Megan Sprinkle: Oh, I love that. That's excellent. All right, Miguel, you popped to the next, so I'll, pop it to you.

Miguel Ortiz: Thank you. Um, that's a really good question. , The way I like to tell the story is that I, in undergrad, I took a summer job and I went to Costa Rica. And my job was to catch butterflies and to catalog where the butterflies would lay their eggs. , And to do that in the jungle, you have to go to where a tree has fallen so that the sunlight hits, , the ground so that these plants can grow.

And so I spent all summer trouncing around fallen trees in the Costa Rican jungle. As it turns out, that's where snakes like to live as well. Uh, very poisonous, , scary snakes. Uh, I never saw one that [00:12:00] very close, but I was deathly, uh, scared of it for, , a whole summer. And so I decided, you know what? This whole biology thing.

Nah, I'm gonna just go take care of the animals. Uh, and so I came back to Purdue and I went to, , the office of registrar. I said, you know what? Take me off of this thing. Let me go do the veterinarian thing. And I haven't looked back since. So 

Megan Sprinkle: we, we'll leave the snakes for, uh, for, uh, yeah, exactly.

Javier, right? Have the, the, sorry, Javi. 

Miguel Ortiz: Yeah. Yeah. If, if there's a snake that's called the, the, the buffalo killer, I don't wanna mess with it. Okay. Javier can have that one. 

Megan Sprinkle: Gotcha. Have Javier on speed dial. Um, I wonderful. I that's a great story. Ashtri, what about you? When did you know you wanted to get into veterinary medicine?

Um, 

Ashtri Bonaparte: yeah, my, my. Infancy has always been about animals. My mom really, she was [00:13:00] a single mom. I grew up in the Bronx, in New York City, and uh, she always had a love for animals. And so it was really my mom, I'd have to say, because we would, it's kind of funny, we would go around the streets in the Bronx so a lot of stray cats would get hit by cars, so we would give them proper burials. So we would take their bodies and we would bury them. Um, I would then make little cardboard boxes for the cats during the wintertime and line it with material and feed them. And so that was my job on the block. Um, so it's a different kind of jungle, not the Costa Rican jungle, but definitely the concrete jungle.

And these animals needed someone to help. And I think it was at that point where I was like, I. I think I'm an animal whisperer and I think this is my calling and I was about, it was like fourth grade, I don't know how old I was in fourth grade, [00:14:00] but some guy that was doing like mentorship for the inner city kids in New York City.

He came and he gave each one of us a book, which is Dr. Seuss's, all the places you'll go. I don't know if you're familiar with this book. And so I read this book and he asked everyone in the class to write down what is it that they want to be when they get older. And I wrote down that, and it was in 1995.

So I wrote that I was then, that I wanted to be a veterinarian and I spell veterinarian wrong, um, or a zookeeper. 'cause I, I really love zoo animals. And he said, every year you're gonna open this book and you're gonna commit, like, is this what you still want to do? When every year and to this day, I still have the book.

I still have that letter. And it has always been my desire to be a veterinarian. And I was close to being a zookeeper. I was a junior zookeeper at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Um, but I ended up going to vet school and here I [00:15:00] am. So, 

Megan Sprinkle: wow. Just to reiterate, right, like wherever there are animals, that is where we, we can go.

And so yeah, absolutely. Animal whispers, animals everywhere need us, so that's beautiful. Thank you so much. Uh, Valerie, what about you? 

Valerie Marcano: Yeah, so for me it is actually a little similar to Ashtri's story. And I grew up in the Dominican Republic where my mom was a veterinarian and I grew up around animals. I didn't necessarily think that that's what I wanted to do, but I moved to the Bronx for high school and living with my aunt and uncle, they didn't have any animals.

And so I started, , working and volunteering at pet shops and, uh, pet stores and vet hospitals in the area. And eventually figured that's, that's what I wanted to do. So I ended up, uh, going to Cornell for [00:16:00] animal sciences and really falling in love with research and eventually did a dual vet PhD program at the University of Georgia, working with poultry.

Went and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a few years, and here I am. Yeah, 

Megan Sprinkle: our parents, they have a huge influence on us. And, and just to share, Valerie, your mom as a veterinarian, she also did a unique job too. 'cause I think she did small ruminants, right. 

Valerie Marcano: So she went to vet school and to focus with in small ruminants.

And the, then she did her thesis on rabies in bats and caves in the Dominican Republic. But then she had her own small animal practice and at the same time worked full-time for the Ministry of Agriculture. She started in the small ruminant division, but then went into the poultry division, which is how I ended up finding out about poultry medicine.

And while I was doing, um, the dual degree program at UGA, she [00:17:00] actually went off to Brazil and did her PhD in epidemiology and then went back and ran one of the like, national diagnostic labs in the DR. So I, there was this, this joke that she couldn't take it, that I was gonna have two doctoral degrees and she only had one, so she had to go get another one.

But yeah. Yeah, 

Megan Sprinkle: she had a pretty unique path. She did. Well it also sounds like, uh, you both share this, um. Interest in doing lots of different things too. So, um, 

Valerie Marcano: yeah, I mean, she's, the reason I learned that, you know, vet Med, having a DVM is really a problem solving degree. You don't, like, you can focus as much as you want and you can specialize as much as you want, but the problem solving part of it is really what it's all about.

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. And exactly like, um, I think it was Javier, you said, you know, like all your experiences, right? You're learning these skills that you can always take forward. So like problem solving is a [00:18:00] huge one that, um, that we have to do. Absolutely. All right, Paul, how did you find your way into veterinary medicine?

 Paul Miranda: Um, started originally in, in high school and, , met my husband at Penn. We both attended Penn and, , he had the idea to buy a vet hospital, we were very young, , which was a, a crazy idea. , Banks were giving money to anyone that had a heartbeat. Um, and that was a very long time ago.

Megan Sprinkle: That's wonderful. All right. And then Maria, I know you got your veterinary degree in Chile. , But when did you know that you wanted to get into veterinary medicine? 

Maria Jose Navarrete Talloni: I, I think as you said, that, um, parents have a huge influence, right? So my dad was, uh, a chemistry professor at the university in Chile, and my mom was a social worker and a [00:19:00] psychologist.

So I had like the best of the, you know, two super different worlds. But I love that my dad had, you know, like those labs that were filled with amazing things and you know, like little tubes and stuff. So I, I, from a, a very early age, I knew that I wanted to be, you know, surrounded by science and they were talking a lot about nature and animals.

And then, um, we traveled a lot and we were spending a lot of time in nature. And my sister, actually, she's also veterinary and she's five years older than me. Uh, so she's starting, uh, studying veterinary medicine and I was like, I want to do something with animals. I don't know if it is, you know, veterinary medicine or not, but I, as I saw her, you know, like moving through the career and doing, you know, like all the fun stuff in the first year with, you know, bones and studying and having, you know, like this awful things to remember still.

I [00:20:00] was like, I'm in love with that. Um, so I decided to go into veterinary medicine, but the question I get a lot is like, how did you decide to move into pathology? Like, why would you, why would you choose like dead animals over, you know, like the medicine part of it? And I think it was because I, I got like my first, no, when I was at, um, my DVM program because I, I started being interested, you know, like in, in solving problems and I really wanted to, you know, see different animals, different species.

And then I asked my pathology professor if he had time. For teaching me, uh, in my last year, um, I, I really had some time because I was finishing my, my project because we have a thesis to fulfill the whole program. And he said, no, I don't have time. And I was devastated, right? I was like, I really want to do this, and then I really need like a mentor or someone.

Uh, and [00:21:00] then I spoke with the dean because I was so pissed. And then he said, you know, like, I'm gonna connect you with the pathologist in the human medicine school, right? So I spent time with them six months. I did an internship with them, and then I just fell in love with it and I was like, this is what I want to do.

Uh, so it kind of opened a lot of windows when I had like a no. So this big door closed, but then I had a chance to meet. Other people outside my field that encouraged me to move and to go abroad and to explore the world. And here I am after living in five countries and you know, like moving around and getting to know lots of pathologists and lots of cool colleagues.

So, so yeah. So it was, you know, like my parents and that professor and we're very good friends with that, pathology professors. Uh, so I always tell him, like, that "no" really pushed me [00:22:00] to, you know, gain some more confidence and start knocking doors. So, yeah. 

Megan Sprinkle: Well, actually that's a perfect segue to the next question I was gonna start asking because I, I think that a lot of the challenges that come up in our life, they can really shape a lot of who we are, our efforts and, and everything going forward.

And so I do want to ask about any particular. Challenge, that you have faced in your career thus far. And I guess since we're here talking about what it's like being Latinx in veterinary medicine, if there is one that specifically comes back to, that aspect of it too, , I am a positivity person, but it, it's also really important to talk about challenges and, and how you overcame them.

Um, so let's, let's talk about any, challenges that you have had to deal with. [00:23:00] And, um, Valerie, do you mind starting on that one? I'll put you, put you on the spot. Hard question. Uh, 

Valerie Marcano: yeah, I guess I can start. Um, I think for me it has been trying to figure out exactly where I fit. , So as a like. One of the, like, you know, darker colored, uh, members of my family, um, with the curly hair and whatnot, I, a lot of times felt a little bit out of place.

And even in like being in, the Latinx community, there's, there's a lot of variation even within families. And I remember growing up with that, like stigma of like, oh, like if you don't do your hair a certain way, it's gonna be like bad hair. And like all of these things. And even coming into VetMed trying to figure out like, do I hang out with like the Latin community?

Do I hang out with like the black community? Does it have to be either or are they really [00:24:00] different or like, you know, can you be both? Do I have to pick? And like, then even realizing the concept of being an Afro-Latina, and overcoming some of those like. Internal issues, but also like the external forces that we're perpetuating them at the same time.

'Cause it's is this combination of like, oh, you're gonna look like the community where you want to practice, but also trying to not internalize when somebody says, oh, you're gonna be a great vet 'cause you speak Spanish. It's like, oh no, I'm gonna be a great vet and I speak Spanish. Right. Um, and so I, I think overcoming some of those challenges and even some of the stereotypes of like, am I like the hotheaded Latina?

Am I the angry black woman? Can I be both at the same time? How does that even work? Um, and trying to find my, my own place in VetMed and just realize like I'm just me and I'll, if I need a label, I'll pick it however I'm feeling at [00:25:00] that time, but I don't have to pick a mold and I don't have to fit within it and I can just kind of.

Do my own thing and I'm still working on it. Um, but I get a little bit better, um, every year-ish. 

Megan Sprinkle: Is there a particular, something that helps you kind of come to that place? , I don't even know how to ask this question. If someone else is feeling this way, like, from your experience, what seems to have helped you the most?

Lemme go for it. Honestly, 

Valerie Marcano: talking to the people around me, um, talking to my friends. When you talk to your friends and your community, when you talk to your mentors, like the people that know you, if they truly know you, they don't put you in a box. They don't put you like, they don't see you as a label. And so just saying, I feel this way.

And even stepping outside of yourself and thinking, if it was one of my friends that was feeling this way, what would I say to them? Um, [00:26:00] and just reminding each other that we are more than like what we think we are. But yeah, just, it's taken me a long time to open up about a lot of those insecurities and, and just messaging a friend and saying, Hey, I'm, I'm feeling this way.

And, I ended up having a period of time where I would just say, Hey, like, I'm home. I'm working from home today. And like a different friend would fill in a half hour within my day that I would hop on my treadmill and then I would just walk and catch up with a different friend like every few days.

And that has helped a lot. 

Megan Sprinkle: Oh, that's a great one. Yeah. Well, I don't have to popcorn every time. Did any anybody wanna volunteer on this question?

Ashtri Bonaparte: I, um, I really resonated to what Valerie was talking about because, um, I, I feel. Very similar in terms of like my identity. I'm also, , one of the darker skinned Latinas and I also have curly hair. And [00:27:00] growing up in the Bronx, I was surrounded by lots of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and so I felt very comfortable.

But then outside of the, like your city and your, your community, you do feel a little bit lost, , in terms of, um, identity. And I think I, I did struggle with that in my veterinary journey. I, I was fortunate I went to Tuskegee University, so that school was very diverse and so I felt, you know, very comfortable.

But when it came time to interviewing for internships or uh, residency programs, I did feel a bit uncomfortable because maybe my accent was a little too thick or, um, I didn't look like the other candidates. I was not from those. Cities or towns, you know, they were not urban cities. And so back then when I was doing all of this, it was very different.

Didn't have a lot of resources or community to connect to. LVMA was not even a thought at that [00:28:00] time. So, you know, now I think there's a lot of resources in place to help. Latinas, Latinos, Latinx community, and, you know, just people of color in general to find their community, find resource, find mentors.

Like I, I didn't have any of that. Um, also my mom only spoke Spanish to a certain time and single mom and I, my older sister was like out of the household. So I was trying to do all of this stuff by myself and I was the only one that wanted to be a veterinarian and I knew nobody else of color that wanted to, that was a veterinarian until I graduated from college.

And I got a job in a veterinary hospital. And my mentor at the time, he was a graduate of Tuskegee University and that's how I kind of got into it. Um. So for me, I, I kind of resonate with that. And then currently, you know, one of my things is still code switching, you know, so that's a big thing , for me because I feel like [00:29:00] I, I have to come off a certain way to be professional or to be professional, you know, the quote unquote, what does that even mean?

, And then the last thing is my name. I think I also get name discrimination because my name itself does not scream Latinx. Um, but, uh, I am, and so a lot of people don't know if, what am I, I feel ethnically ambiguous and I think maybe some people on the call could also identify with that. When you don't know if your name is really like who you are.

'cause no one would assume I speak Spanish fluently from my name. Um, so those are some of the struggles that I've encountered. But here at my, like, this hospital's amazing, there's a lot of diversity amongst my colleagues. I can talk and act how I want. I don't care if I'm the spicy Latina. Um, you know, like they, they know like I might just, I'm from the east coast.

Oh, here's the Bronx coming [00:30:00] out and, you know, those things don't bother me anymore. I think all of this stuff also comes with age and maturity, where you start to realize, you know what, I'm not even paying attention to those things anymore because maybe it's just coming from a place of love. So, 

Valerie Marcano: honestly, I like.

Chime in, like it, to me, it happened the other way too. I remember coming back to the Bronx from undergrad, like during the summers and winter break and having people be like, oh my God, you speak like a white girl now. And I was like, I don't, what does that even mean? What does it mean? So I identify with the code switching portion of it or going to the DR and people are like, you don't talk like a Dominican now.

You talk like a gringo. I'm like, I oh God, what do I talk, what do I sound like?

Javier G. Nevarez: Uh, I can chime in. You know? And, and it's funny because, you know, here in Louisiana there's a, a huge African-American population, black population. And, and for me, one of the funny things is like, obviously, uh, I don't look Hispanic or Latinx, you know, I, I can walk [00:31:00] into the room and as long as I open my mouth, it's all good.

But, you know, it was funny because then the black people are like, oh, we thought you was white. I'm like, well, I mean, I guess my skin is white, but I guess I'm not white, right? So for me that I'm ambigu is the other way. It's like. You know, that, that whole association with, with the, the color of the skin. So that's always gonna help reframe and realize that, that perspective.

But, um, one of my experiences was actually going way back to undergrad. That's been a pivotal experience that I still talk to and is, uh, my very first week of, of undergrad, I had just gotten here to LSU and at LSU you could take some tests and, and test out of certain courses. So I had tested out of all the Spanish classes and when I showed up, , they assigned all the Spanish courses. I went to the department and, and they're like, well, no, but you come from a Spanish speaking country as your native language, so you cannot get credit for that. And I said, well, so can people from here get credit for the English courses? Oh, yes. And I was like, so what's the difference?

Right? So, so that was the first time that I faced something that I was like, wait a second, this doesn't make any [00:32:00] sense. What, what do you mean I cannot get credit? But the local people can. Right? Uh, so I pester her every day, twice a day. Went to her office for a week and she said, fine, I'm gonna give you the credits and here you go.

Right. So that experience motivated me, and that's part of my personality. And, and up to this day, it did two things. It showed me that, you know, you don't take no for an answer and it doesn't matter what's right. It's right and you pursue it. Uh, but it also gave me the responsibility. And, and I still have that as a mentor, that if you have the power to help, if you have the power to speak up, uh, you know, not everybody needs to have that pressure on their shoulders, but if you, if you wanna take that on, then bring it on.

And that really influences me as a mentor nowadays, because I know that if somebody that looks like me can experience something like that than somebody that looks like Valerie or Ashtri or somebody else, I know it's 20,000 sometimes worse for them. Right. So, uh, I think that's a big part of that solidarity of understanding.

We're not a monolith. , And we have a big power and responsibility, and whenever we [00:33:00] can, we have to exercise that power, because I tell everybody, I said, I'm happy to be a chameleon. I walk into the room, I won't open my mouth, but guess what? I have a seat on the table and you ain't moving me from that chair when as I sit down.

Uh, so, uh, I have that, you know, I, I think that's a big power that, that I have, that other people might not have. Uh, but it also comes with a big responsibility to help the people that come behind us. 

Megan Sprinkle: Exactly. Yeah.

 Paul Miranda: , Age does a, a great job at making you not care. Um, I, I think back to my time at, at Penn and having a mentor who genuinely cared, but telling me to. At the time wanted me to be successful in life and, and to tone down the, the Latin and the, the gay and being told exactly that , the, the world wasn't ready for that.

And I, I, I did for a very long time and, and realized, uh, that I wasn't being [00:34:00] genuine. And when I stopped caring and when my 3 0 5 accent comes out, or, and I, I might sound like Gloria, Stefan or, uh, or sachet down the hallway, I don't give a damn anymore. And I can say that honestly, I feel better. I, I, I feel that as a leader, I, I do a better job.

I'm also extremely lucky that I work in a very liberal industry. And, and we are. , If I worked , on Wall Street, I probably would have a, a very different experience and would still be trying to be a different person. , So I, I stopped caring until recently where as someone who wasn't born in, this country, left Cuba when I was seven, lived in Costa Rica, came here when I was nine [00:35:00] and never felt as much of an outsider until this last year where all these thoughts are running through my head constantly.

It it's this constant fear of the what if. , And that's has to be part of the, the conversation as well of, what if this happens, what if, if, um, um, and that is. Different from how I have ever felt before. So I stopped caring and then now I've got a, uh, constant anxiety. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. So I'm, I'm sorry, the, the what if what, which around career or I missed.

I mean, I missed, I, 

 Paul Miranda: I, I think around , the what if being Latinx being, , a potential target, , not having been born here. [00:36:00] Um, it, it is that, that constant fear, um, don't send me to Cuba because I haven't been there since I was a child and I don't like the heat. I, I, I need ac. So, uh, it is that, that fear, , of what if I'm next?

Megan Sprinkle: Mm. 

 Paul Miranda: Okay. And I am, yeah, it's, uh, it, it, yeah. So that, that is something that, that I do think about constantly. 

Megan Sprinkle: There definitely have been a, some interesting changes in the past few years that probably have a lot of people, uh, doing some what ifs in their, in their minds for sure. Um, any other thoughts on this one?

Miguel Ortiz: , One thing that I, I can add and I can share is that it in, in my experience when I graduated, , I thought Spanish was gonna be the ticket to get any job I wanted. , You mean I can do this job [00:37:00] with two different languages? Let's go. But in the places that I was going to, it wasn't really valued, you know, uh, it was different diasporas.

Of course, there's , Latinx people all over our country, but in where it has worked out for me, , the places that I have ended up there really haven't been that much, clients. And so, uh, uh, for a long time I was like, well, this part of me, right who I am, this, this part, I wanted to express that, but I didn't have a place to do it.

And that was really hard. , It almost felt devalued. , And that was tough. Through a few other jobs. Like, you know, you'd get, I think we, we mentioned name discrimination and that certainly was part of my experience as well, you know, Ortiz, somehow everyone thought it was Ortega, like, now it's not nothing I against any Ortegas.

I'm sure they're great people, but, , [00:38:00] there's this maliciousness out there that, that can happen, you know? And so we deal with that. But , what I wanted to highlight was this wonderful gift that we have particularly, , for those of us who are fluent in Spanish, they can practice in Spanish.

And when we walk into that exam room. Whether now or in the future, and there's a person there that has been troubled with something with their animal, and you can offer them native language. My goodness, that room changes so much, right? I'm seeing some shakes in the head and my gosh, that's so nice to do it.

We get paid no extra money for that, right? And it, it, it, and that's fine. It doesn't matter because it gives me such a gift in that day, and my day is instantly better. Like any day that I get to practice one time in Spanish. I'm fine the rest of the day. I don't [00:39:00] care what happens the rest of the day 'cause there's just this air about it.

, And so, yeah, exactly. , I thought, okay, I may get to do this all the time, and it didn't work out and there was a lot of years where it just wasn't part of my practice. It just wasn't. And those were tough. Um, those were tough. It was like, what is this? It's not worth it, , for anybody else.

Um, but now, and now and again, it, it, it pops up, you know, Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, , there's a lot of Latins folks here, but it for, for reasons, you know, I don't get to to to practice in Spanish that often, but when I do, it's, it's, it's just a gem. , So it's really fun.

Megan Sprinkle: Well come down to Miami and, uh, yeah, exactly. You'll have lots of opportunity. Exactly. Yeah. 

Miguel Ortiz: Thank this does not apply to like, you know, certain cities if I'm in Chicago, if I'm anywhere else, but for those of us who are not in a center. Yeah. 

Megan Sprinkle: Yeah. 

 Paul Miranda: I, I will tell you, Miguel, if you go down to Miami, do not expect anyone to be on time for an appointment.[00:40:00] 

Megan Sprinkle: Oh, well, yes. Uh, having just taken my one yearold for her 1-year-old appointment, um, yeah, there, that was, that was a, we should have brought more activities to do in the lobby. 

 Paul Miranda: There, there is such a thing. Yes. 

Megan Sprinkle: Um, well, you know, Miguel, you started to get into this too though. , We've been talking about challenges and I, I knew we would have great conversations.

We're already like, starting to, , get down to the last 15 minutes. But, , there's also a lot of opportunity for strengths , . , And some of it may come through mentorship. 'cause I, I've noticed as we've been talking, a lot of stories have popped up with, uh, mentors that have come up and have supported you.

But when it comes to where you felt like it was a strength, it, it helped you. What comes to mind on that side?

Maria Jose Navarrete Talloni: I'm going to jump in. Uh, this is one of my favorite topics because at some point it is not how it benefits [00:41:00] you, it's how it benefits both of you, right? So having a mentee, and having a mentor, I mean, both persons in that relationship grow. , And there has to be. A good mentor, a, you know, like a poor mentor can actually destroy you.

So again, you have, as a mentee, you have to have that, uh, discrimination and probably, , it took me a while to get a mentor. Like it wasn't a thing when I was living in Chile. There is a, or back then, many, many years ago, I'm still young, but it was many, many years ago, um, the, the relationship in academia was very hierarchical.

So it wasn't like your professors weren't your mentors or your friends. , Some of them were helping you through their career, but it wasn't a thing. So when I was abroad was when I started, you know, getting to know that mentor mentee relationship. I didn't know anything about mentorship. , But I always wanted to have someone to ask things to, And [00:42:00] then I was doing my masters at uc Davis and I met all these great professors that were willing to help me and guide me in my career. And that was like eye-opening, right? For the first time I felt supported and there were no like Latino mentors, they were like regular, you know, American mentors and, but they were focusing on international students and they were helping us because we didn't have that network of people.

We didn't have that, uh, community, right? So they were kind of creating that community for us. So that was part of my master's in preventive veterinary medicine. We had a lot of, , international students, but back then, so the mentorship part is so, so important. And as mentors, I think. I have grown so much and we need that mentorship, strategy , throughout our careers at different times in [00:43:00] our careers.

So, for example, I have lots of mentees, but I also have mentors, right? So in pathology I have mentors. In, in my leadership, I also have mentors, and that is a relationship that grows and it, it's, it has objectives and we grow together. And sometimes it ends, but it ends beautifully. So we still keep in touch and I still, you know, give feedback to them .

And with my mentees, it's the same thing. I, grow with them, but at some point they don't need me anymore. Right. So then that relationship kind of evolves differently and, um, yeah, it's, it's just, um, acknowledging that both parts really, um, grow and nurture each other. So that's how it's supposed to be, or that's how I think it would be like the ideal world.

Valerie Marcano: Now I'll chime in because I, I mean, you hit a lot of the things that I, that I would've said, but I, I do love something [00:44:00] that Javier said e earlier, right? Like being able to think about how others experience the world. And if I experience it this way, thinking about how others may experience it and saying, okay, what can I do to make the world a little bit better?

Right? Like when Ashtri said Bronx, like I immediately was like, yes, Bronx. Okay, here we are. Right? And, and I see that, right? I remember. Um, maybe even five years ago, just thinking like, where are like the, the people who have Dominican heritage who are in veterinary medicine in the US and I still don't know as many that are, you know, my generation and older.

But what I've noticed is every time I mention it, I find another mentee that is like, oh my gosh, this person has something that we can immediately create a connection. And , it is not the country. Right? It is the fact that we have similar heritage and we can identify and it creates that immediate connection.

I'm not talking about Queens. Okay. [00:45:00] This is about the Bronx. Okay. I dunno, like comments about Queens in the chat, Paul. Um, um, but so I, I think it's. It's so important to be able to see ourselves. And I remember when, when I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do as I was going from being in the DR through high school, through undergrad, through college, I just kept seeing less and less and less people that looked like me at every single step of the way.

And I kept thinking like, what is it? Where are they going? what do we do? And the answer that we came up with was creating possibilities that meant, right, like a place where you could find people who had similar backgrounds to you, who could mentor you based on whatever it was that you wanted to.

Because what I saw in myself was that I got to where I was because of the mentors that I had, had the good ones and the bad ones, right? Like I, I learned what I wanted to do and what I didn't wanna do. Um, and so I think mentorship [00:46:00] really, really drives this profession forward.

Javier G. Nevarez: I wanna, , piggyback on something that Maria said that I think is some, something that. You know, us in academia, maybe think a little bit more, but sometimes people in practice don't. And thus, you know, in the US that's one thing that the US does really well is a mentorship aspect. But in Latin America, uh, like Maria's experience, uh, I had the opportunity to work in Latin America for, for a while.

Over the past, uh, you know, 10 or 12 years, have great colleagues there, great academics there. Um, and you know, the challenge is that hierarchical structure in Latin America is still there. So the people that are in Latin America need a lot of help because they have no clue. People are not helping them. So that's something else that we need to, sometimes we're in a little bubble here in the US and we're doing our own Latinx thing here in the us.

But we gotta remember there's those people that are still coming from Mexico and Colombia and Argentina, Venezuela, whatever, right? Uh, Honduras, wherever the case might be. So, uh, that is a completely [00:47:00] different mindset, uh, and you have to kind of start from scratch right from the bottom floor and build that up.

So I think that's another important thing to remember that that background, where people come from, and it's not just Latin America. I work with a lot of students from Asia, Korea. I mean, the hierarchical structure is still there, right? So, um, you know, I think that's a big part of it, kind of taking that step back and going to where, what's the system in your country where you come from?

And then tailoring that mentorship. But, , we just had a panel at LSU the other day, and that's one of the things I told the students, I said, I wouldn't be here where I am if I didn't have great mentors. , And I always tell my students, you have to build your professional network. We tell 'em you wouldn't have to be BFFs If you don't like me personally, that's fine, but we are a resource for you, right.

And , we can help you get places. We can make things a lot easier for you. So building that professional network is so important, , because then you have people that you can call for resources. Uh, you might not know the answer, but you can refer that student or that mentee to somebody else. , So that to me is part of the, the beautiful thing [00:48:00] of veterinary medicine is that you get to build this professional network of people that start as colleagues and become as friends.

And that to me is one of the most satisfying things of this career for sure. 

Megan Sprinkle: Agreed. I hear a lot of people say that this is, this profession is overall. Typically very supportive . We've got some, some special individuals, but, uh, but in general it's a very supportive profession. So, , yes, , everyone's mentioned there's some good mentors.

There's some mentors that need to learn a few things, but, , in general , there's opportunities out there. I know this question came up too, when Daniel and I were, were preparing for this too. , please feel free to keep talking about mentorship and, and your thoughts around that.

But also if, if there was ever a point where maybe you found mentorship in, in a surprising place too, uh, 'cause that may also be helpful, maybe a, a place that people wouldn't normally think about. I mean, luckily we [00:49:00] have groups like Pawsibilities and the LVMA now that people can start to come together. But, , if there's also any other ideas around support or mentorship that may look a little bit differently, like Valerie talked about, calling somebody while, , walking on the treadmill, right.

You know, having a group that you start to form. , , if you have any ideas there too. 

Ashtri Bonaparte: Yeah, I could speak on that. When I moved out to California, um, it definitely was important for me to find like a, a group of people that I, I meshed with and all of that. And, and one thing that was important to me is my faith. Um, I was born Catholic, so I'm Christian.

And so one thing that really was like a mentorship in a very unusual way is actually my Bible study group. When I moved out here, um, one of the bible study leaders, like, she just kind of took me under her wing and like she just became this confidant where I could just kind of tell her about all of my problems and issues.

It was just more [00:50:00] like therapeutic, if anything. But she ended up being a really good mentor to me, just doing life, doing life here, doing life at work. , And I felt like it did help improve my, work life balance being here, , and just giving me that extra confidence, like how do I.

Do my everyday, you know, in a veterinary setting. So that, for me, that was really an important part of my, , growth as a veterinarian here in California. 

Megan Sprinkle: Such a good point, right? Because , we're first and foremost human beings and , there's a lot to us. I know we put a lot of our identity on, on what we do because we're very passionate about it.

But, , finding those opportunities outside of me be the work setting too, are, are great places to find support, 

Javier G. Nevarez: get a hobby so that get a hobby, you know, married to your work, you know, that, that, that's so important. You know, especially this younger generation. It's about life, work, balance. Uh, and I always tell 'em, look, you, you gotta find something to do.

You gotta schedule [00:51:00] your personal time. Find something else that has nothing to do with veterinarian medicine and, and, you know, enjoy it and do it , and that, that really helps keep you grounded because then you find other people like, okay, good, you're a vet, cool, whatever. But eventually they really don't care, right?

Either that, or kids, your kids don't care either. So, you know, that's another option to get humbled. 

Megan Sprinkle: Good 

point. 

Valerie Marcano: I would say just remembering that when it comes to things like, you know, mentoring and community, you can learn things from everybody around you. I think we get this idea of like, oh, a mentor has to be this, like ideal person.

, But I love the idea of being able to, you know, to find that that community and that sense of belonging in so many different places. 

Megan Sprinkle: Exactly. All right, well we are close to time, so I'm gonna see, Daniel, have you seen any questions yet or can I maybe pull out one more question and if, if you have [00:52:00] a question, audience, please put them in.

None yet. Okay. Alright, then let's, , we've had such a great discussion. Let, let me throw out a huge question to wrap us up in, in a few minutes. Noticing. Um, it is, I think it might be a big question, but, . As kind of some final thoughts for our, our audience today, and we're thinking about, again, our topic being what it means to be Latinx in, in veterinary medicine specifically.

What comes , to your mind that you would want to leave people, 

Javier G. Nevarez: I, I would say, I'm gonna leave it on an optimistic note and say that we're in an amazing time in veterinary medicine because things are moving forward and we're progressing. And at LSU we have 57 Puerto Rican students right now. We've been recruiting for the past four years, and we have one of the biggest class of Puerto Ricans.

So I get to speak Spanish every day, you know, uh, I'm gonna make everybody jealous now. Miguel jealous. But, uh, but I think, I think we're in an amazing time of, of veterinary medicine where the future is bright for [00:53:00] Latinx community. There's been a little bit of a pushback, but, , we're not backing up. So, so I think, you know, optimism, you know, and, and I think that's the important thing, and, and the more we continue to do this and, and LVMA has done an amazing job on this and promoting it, and, and it's just that mass effort.

. I feel fortunate, although I'm in the latter part of my career, I'm glad that I'm here now. , And I'm looking forward to seeing what all those people and the students that come behind us are gonna do and see them in leadership positions, because I think that makes me feel optimistic despite everything that's going on in the country right now and everything else.

I I am always optimistic. Uh, and, and something I want to share with Paul real quick is, Paul, remember with this communities with you, so please never feel alone, , because we're all here for each other. So I know , it's easy to feel negative some days and, and loom and gloom. , But, , we got each other's back and that's what's gonna keep us moving forward.

Megan Sprinkle: Actually, I think that answers the question in the chat really well too. So the, the question , is about, , adapting and, [00:54:00] and handling some of the, the political changes and challenges that we kind of alluded to earlier. You know, I, I think, um, you know, Javier, your, your answer was a, a great one for that one, but if anyone else wants to, to comment on that, , it's an elephant in the room. So, we'll, we'll pull out the elephant. Anyone else wanna comment? Um, some words of wisdom on that. 

Ashtri Bonaparte: Just wanted to piggy off of Javier. And, you know, as a representative of the A-C-V-I-M, the DEI committee, we are standing very strong in our pursuit for improvement, um, for our resident candidates.

, All of our DEI initiatives, , we're not paying attention to any current, , administrative pushbacks. Um, we are standing strong and firm in what we want to do in our commitment. So, um, at this point , we're just, you know, keep the marathon going. So, 

Valerie Marcano: yeah, I think to [00:55:00] going with what you've both said so far, I think really having each other's backs and just as a community, staying strong, , supporting each other and just if you have to.

If you want to do more and you wanna be more active, try not to do all of it, right? Like, pick one thing, pick two things. Pick an area where you feel like you can make the most impact, or the area where you feel like you will get most fulfillment, whatever it is. But don't, don't try to do it all. Don't try to do it alone.

And when you're thinking about that community, make sure that you're thinking about the whole community. I think it's easy sometimes to think of like, oh yeah, like the other veterinarians or, you know, the people that work at this one practice. Um, we, we go beyond. We're present in every aspect of community across the US and every single like profession that you can think of, veterinary medicine is like at the backbone.

[00:56:00] Um, so just staying together and strong as a community 

 Paul Miranda: and visible. Uh, I, I would add, , , strong together, visible. , We may call our, fruits different names. , We've got different slang, but ultimately we are one. , We may look different like a, like a rainbow, but, , it's important that, that we stay united and together.

Miguel Ortiz: I would add that, you know, the nature of our work is to take care of others, to take care of, , creatures, beings that can't communicate with us and they don't care. , What hat their owner is wearing. And it's hard. Again, I work in some places where, my clients are quite different than I am, and that's, that can be hard.

I get that. That's hard. Um, but I'm there for, I'm [00:57:00] there for the animal. , And it's hard to wrap my head around it, but we are also there to help individual, regardless of what they believe in, regardless of where they're coming from. You know, in that moment you're there for almost a higher calling. Um, take care of your community, take care of those around you.

Um, you can't take care of everybody, you know, um, and stay off social media. That's, that's my advice. That's, that's what I can add to the conversation 

 Paul Miranda: unless it's Megan's podcast. 

Megan Sprinkle: Be very selective and intentional. Yes. Yes. That actually that I, that's a. I am gonna take that and run with that. It really does help to be very intentional in what you surround yourself with and if you are intentionally surrounding yourself with the good mentors, , the positive mindsets, the people who are, you know, making a difference.

And I think that really, really, really helps. It [00:58:00] really does.