Amanda was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She has a bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is working toward going back to school to pursue her DVM. Amanda knew early in life that she wanted to work with animals. She remembers asking her Mom around the ages of 8-9: "What kind of a person takes care of animals?" Her Mom told her that they would be veterinarians, and she's been sold ever since.
Amanda joined VCA in May of 2022 and has a fondness for veterinary diet and nutrition. She loves understanding how diets can affect pets and learning about what nutrition best benefits a pet. She thinks every pet owner ought to know that we truly have their and their pet's best interests at heart. For example, if we share that we cannot continue services on a given day due to a pet's stress, anxieties, or aggression, it is because we don't want to harm the pet or give them a traumatic experience. This is a best practice green flag.
One of Amanda's favorite parts of her work is our team. She believes we are truly the best at what we do and that everyone is always striving to help. The team gets along very well together, and she pointed out that it is rare to find. She also enjoys that there are plenty of hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to grow.
While Amanda doesn't currently have any pets, she hopes to one day have a Labrador retriever and a male orange cat. If she could be any animal, Amanda would be a sea turtle. She loves them and wishes to be as unbothered as they appear.
The best advice she's received is to protect your peace, and she noted that she's always working to keep a positive mindset and an optimistic outlook on life.
In her free time, Amanda loves spending time at home with her family. She has a daughter, a son, and is married to her loving husband. She loves a good, dramatic reality TV show and watching the chaos and romance unfold. She also loves to work out, thrift, enjoy the waves on the beach, and go to farmers' markets and festivals. When it comes to choosing a festival, she's not picky as long as they have good food and live music. That said, her absolute favorite is hands down the Festival International in Lafayette, Louisiana.
