Hadley Homan

My name is Hadley Homan, and I am a student majoring in Animal Biosciences at the University of Georgia with the intention of one day becoming a veterinarian. I have always been intensely passionate about animals, the outdoors, and travel.

My love of animals stems from countless experiences with family pets, going to the zoo, and engaging with wildlife in National and State parks throughout my childhood. My parents are avid hikers and backpackers who decided to immerse my twin sister and I into the outdoors before we could even walk. They hiked through the North Carolina Smokey Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, and other trails with us secured in their backpacks starting when we were less than 2 years old. I've seen everything from raccoons, great horned owls, ospreys, and bald eagles to black bears in person. I still love hiking and backpacking whenever I can, but my respect for nature and all of its creatures has become an integral aspect of my identity that shapes my passion for veterinary medicine.

I began working at an Animal Hospital through a wildlife rehabilitation program in which I volunteered for a year when I was 15 years old. I handled opossums, bunnies, turtles, snakes, many species of hawks and owls, and even foxes through this program. Over the summer I also worked as a camp counselor for a program the hospital does called "Vet Camp" in which I taught kids from 3rd to 8th grade all about basic first aid, heartworm, intestinal parasite, and tick prevention, and all the wildlife I worked with. After that I got to be trained as a technician assistant and receptionist. I had amazing experiences falling in love with the profession and veterinary hospital setting as well as seeing how I can combine that with wildlife pro-bono work.

If I'm not pouring myself into schooling or enjoying the outdoors, you'll either find me curled up with a book, painting, or traveling. I love painting and seeing artwork. While my favorite pieces are often impressionist works, I am always interested in learning more about art history and varying styles. Lately I've deeply enjoyed practicing American Realism and drawing inspiration from the works of Amy Sherald. I love almost any fictional book and have only recently taken a dive into Southern literature with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston. While I haven't traveled nearly as much as I would one day like to, I have enjoyed every single new pac eI have seen. I am especially fond of my trip to Scotland and the Shetland Islands. I enjoy trips where I can go hiking and experience grand natural beauty and see amazing animals, and seeing the puffins and shetland ponies as well as Highland cows cemented that trip as one of my favorites of all time! One day I hope I can travel to every continent while pursuing my passions as a veterinarian.