As a child, Indiana University Northwest alumna Dannette Williams wanted to be an artist. She would spend time in the woods drawing the animals. As she grew older, she discovered science and medicine and read books about fascinating things like the plague and yellow fever.

When it came time for the Portage woman, now 24, to choose a career path, she simply merged all those interests and a future veterinarian was born.

With rimmed glasses that match her green-tipped hair, red lipstick, and yellow and gold canine necklace, it is clear she has not lost her artistic flair, but hitting the books as she embarks on veterinary school this August is her primary focus now.

The 2016 alumna decided to attend IU Northwest for her undergraduate biology degree, even though her sights were always set on heading to Purdue University afterwards. Since Purdue is the only veterinary school in the state, Williams says many who want to pursue this path tend to gravitate toward Purdue for their undergraduate degree as well.

But not Williams. She did careful research before choosing a school for her undergraduate education and decided that IU Northwest was the best choice to prepare her for the rigors of graduate school. One reason was the wealth of hands-on experience she knew IU Northwest would provide.

“Because of the small class sizes here, you really get a lot of one-on-one time with your professors. You get to work side-by-side with them as they work on their research in the field. The amount of research that students get to be directly involved with is amazing.” -- Dannette Williams

Intrigued by ecology and conservation, she was especially excited about working with Spencer Cortwright, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on conducting controlled burns of the Little Calumet River Prairie and Wetlands Nature Preserve, located immediately north of campus. This was just one of the many experiential opportunities that shaped her undergraduate experience.

Williams took a gap year in order to gain the required experience in the field. She worked at an emergency veterinary clinic where she saw the worst veterinary medicine has to offer, along with the best. She also worked at a zoo and a wildlife rehabilitation center.

In hindsight, Williams acknowledged the wisdom of this requirement. It is a good thing, she said, “so you can be very sure that this is what you want to do.”

With her path now clear, Williams hopes to earn both a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) and master’s in public health (MPH) degree so that she can also conduct research in conservation or zoonotic diseases.