Annika was born and raised in Monterey County and grew up in her mother's small animal veterinary practice and her father's mobile equine practice. She started in the veterinary field at three weeks of age! She has always loved caring for animals (her family always had many dogs, cats, and horses) and serving people. She moved to the Midwest for her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University Of Notre Dame, where she studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland for five months. She came back to sunny California for her veterinary training at UC Davis, where she focused on small animals and volunteered for many free student-run clinics, and gained experience working with livestock. She is very grateful for all her experiences with animals and for her fantastic education at UC Davis, as well as for meeting her husband, Efrain. Annika is very excited to be back in her hometown of Salinas. In her free time, Annika enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, and spending time with her husband.