Amanda was born at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona, and raised in Aromas and Salinas here in California. She obtained her bachelor's degree in zoology at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Amanda is our VCA Penn Foster scholarship recipient and is currently enrolled in the veterinary technician program with the hopes of becoming a registered veterinary technician next year.
In 2022, Amanda joined our team as an animal care assistant, and has since become cross-trained as a client service representative and promoted to veterinary assistant. Her occupational interests include phlebotomy, cystocentesis, and fear-free approaches to our often misunderstood feline friends. Amanda considers part of her job to be animal advocacy, and she is grateful to help pets that cannot speak for themselves. You can sometimes catch her talking to a nervous patient in a calm voice - even if they can't understand what she is saying, she knows a gentle tone, slow approach, and empathy can go a long way with a fractious pet!
Before working in the veterinary industry, Amanda held jobs in food service and retail. At home, she has three cats, a parrot, and is an aunt to two dogs. Amanda is ambidextrous and enjoys walking, bird watching, and hiking. She also likes coffee and tea, bad jokes, reading for fun or for education, video games, and fine-tuning her Pinterest boards. Amanda loves all animals, but in the hospital she is most excited to see cats and kittens, pit bulls, shepherds, mastiffs, and little apple-headed Chihuahuas on our schedule.
When it comes to working at VCA All Pets Salinas, Amanda's favorite parts are her colleagues, leadership team, and regular clients. As a Penn Foster scholarship recipient, Amanda feels as if she can personally speak to how VCA provides opportunities for experience and further education for everyone. We are so proud of her and cannot wait to see where the future takes her.
