Life beyond Radford
Amy Lam ( Aspley Davis )
- Bachelor Degree, University of Sydney, BVSc (Hons1)
- Doctoral, Australian New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, Fellowship in Small Animal Internal Medicine
- Certificate III, University of Sydney, Vet Clin Stud
- Specialist in Internal Medicine
What does life look for you now?
Married, no human children, 2 x fur children (cats)
Work: Small Animal Specialist Hospital in Sydney, after working / living for 6 years in the UK
Sport: long distance (10k - marathon: road and cross country) running (who would have thought, given how much I initially hated cross country)
Hobbies: no time for that! Apart from drinking coffee
Tell us what you are passionate about?
I love running - I want to be the best amateur I possibly can be. I love my job - I want to be the best I possibly can beI love spending time with friends and family - especially when sunshine is involved
When you were young, what were you hoping to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a vet (apart from a short time where I wanted to be a geologist and an astronaut). I had to work so hard to achieve my goal.
What is your favourite Radford moment?
I loved outdoor activities. I was fortunate enough to be able to go on adventures to many beautiful places including: North West Island, Kosiosko NP, etc. These were great opportunities to really submerse yourself in the environment, and learn about what really matters.
Do you have a particular role model or inspirational figure from Radford or now?
I was very fortunate to have met Mr Dodd in the first semester of Year 11. At that time, my target to get a Uni Admission Index of >98 was a little out of my reach, and I really had to pick up my game in Chemistry and Physics, but I didn't love them. Mr Dodd (and Miss Morrison), showed me how cool these subjects are, and then I started to excel (which surprised some of my class mates - and me!). Finding how these subjects are relevant in life made a big difference. Then I learned not just to get my UAI, but to learn about life in general.
How easy was it to decide what to do in life?
It was easy for me to make a decision about what I wanted to do - as it was a professional goal. What was hard for me, is that the job I chose is really really hard. When things don't go as you plan or desire, how do you deal with that? It is really important to do things with integrity, and compassion. Without those, you are really lost. The Radford values helped /help me with this immensely every single day.
Did your further study or career go exactly as you'd planned?
Plans always have to have a degree of flexibility. I had never failed anything in my life until my final hurdle - fellowship exams. These taught me more about myself, my relationships, my real friends and my values than anything ever before. I had to really focus, and decide what really mattered, and take one small step at a time. Then things became achievable.
What do you know now, that you wish you'd known when you were at Radford?
Things don't always go to plan, no matter how much you want them. What matters is that you stay true to your values, and stay a good person whilst you try to do what you want to do.
Oh and that I am a really good runner.... and if I had put some effort into cross country, I might have been a better runner.
What advice do you have for current students?
Keep fit and active. There is plenty of research showing the psychological effects of activity are highly beneficial for goal setting and achievements.
Do what you love. If you don't know what you love, explore new things.