Although I was unable to celebrate NUHS Homecoming in Chicago, I had a chance to go on a little vacation of my own. The Tampa Bay area has tons of things to do, but my girlfriend and I decided to drive up to Atlanta (only 7 hours away) for two days! On the way there, we stopped at High Falls State Park and went on a hike. We enjoyed the man-made waterfall and the river as it flowed over natural rock formations. It was a perfect place to enjoy lunch–including some Georgia peaches we picked up on the way–before arriving in Atlanta.

Once in Atlanta, we went to the Georgia Aquarium, one of the top aquariums in the world. What an incredible experience! Every single exhibit was amazing, but I was completely blown away by the Ocean Voyager exhibit, which contained several whale sharks and manta rays! Words cannot do justice to how great this 6 million gallon tank was. I wanted to stay there all day, but there was so much more to see.

We visited a local brewery that night (Max Lager’s) before resting up at our hotel in Downtown Atlanta. Before heading home the next day, we went to the World of Coca-Cola. The museum was a ton of fun and I definitely drank more soda than I have in a LONG time. There is a whole room dedicated to sampling the different brands and flavors of Coca-Cola products from around the world (if you go, definitely try Beverly, an Italian soda), which was by far the coolest part! I was really glad to take a few days break from school, but once I got back it was back to studying for this week’s exams.

This week, Lambda Chi, the Sorority club on campus, brought in a guest speaker to talk to us about how she got into Veterinary Chiropractic and pass along some advice on getting started in the field. Dr. Jillian Johnson of Farmhouse Chiropractic is actually a NUHS alumnus, so it was very cool to meet someone who has come from where we are right now and built a successful business of her own. Dr. Johnson runs a mobile animal chiropractic clinic out of Tampa where she drives to her clients and works on their animals – mostly dogs and horses. She explained some of the logistics of her practice and how animal chiropractic is a growing field with a lot of potential. She is very involved in the legislative process and is actively working to expand our rights and scope of practice as animal care providers. It was nice of her to take time from her day and visit with us, and to be an example of where we could be in a few years.

I hope that everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July holiday.

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].