For as long as I could remember, I have had a huge interest in animals; just ask my parents, who had to hear me beg for a dog for years until they finally gave in. This ultimately led me to pursue my studies in veterinary medicine, a degree that I graduated from in 2024, with my dog spending countless nights studying the subject by my side. These studies have also allowed me to discover multiple other species that I grew fond of, but I quickly developed a strong affinity for dairy cattle, whose curiosity I find absolutely endearing.

In an effort to better understand their behaviours and needs, I completed an internship in the CowLife McGill lab over the summer of 2022, where we introduced outdoor access to the dairy cows of the MacDonald Campus Dairy Farm. This, coupled with multiple classes and clinical internships done as part of my degree, provided me with a better understand of what cattle welfare entails, and gave me the motivation to continue to explore it through a master’s degree. I have thus been a part of the CowLife McGill lab, through the Well-e chair, since the fall of 2024, where I am investigating the use of different behavioural tests in dairy heifers, in the context of outdoor access and halter training.