Home: Fort Lauderdale, FL. Age: 30. Birthplace: Queens, NY. But raised in South Florida. Profession: Veterinarian, exotic animal medicine. Organization: Broward Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital. Title: Lead Associate Veterinarian. Pronouns: He/Him/His. Significant other: My life partner, Matthew Colon. Alma mater: Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine (doctorate); Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (master’s degree), Nova Southeastern University (bachelor’s degree). Languages spoken: English, Spanish.
Recent recognition: Promoted from Associate Veterinarian to Lead Veterinarian. Latest accomplishment: Completed training for Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber treatment with animals. Latest contribution to others: Volunteering with Puppy Rescue Mission to help rescue and transport dogs rescued from oversees to get them to American soldiers they have bonded with. Hobbies: SCUBA diving (open-water certified), hiking with my dogs, gardening, live music and concerts, and I am an aquarist (reef tank). Recent travel or adventure: Barranquilla, Colombia for Shakira’s concert. Met her, had her sign my arm, and got her signature tattooed. Last book read: Neville Goddard: the Deluxe Collection. Recently viewed and recommended: The Blue-Eyed Samurai.
What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Passionate. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Respectful, supportive, vulnerable. What is your greatest joy? Family. What is your greatest fear? Heights. What word or phrase do you use far too often? For real. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Mothers. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Pets. I love spoiling them. What is at the top of your bucket list? Own my own veterinary hospital. What is your go-to workout? Walking my dogs. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? Local cuisine.
What was your favorite childhood toy or game? Pokémon on Gameboy Color. What movie have you repeatedly watched? Jurassic Park. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? Shakira. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Be persistent in chasing your dreams. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Done is better than perfect. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Music.
What is your big idea?
Expanding the accessibility of veterinary care for exotic pet species (avian, reptiles, mammals, etc.) throughout South Florida.
What change would you like to see in the world? Greater compassion towards people different from you or in more need of you. What message do you want to send out into the world? Live your life as your authentic self, unapologetically.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? Life in the Fragile Circle. It is honoring the beauty and heartbreak of caring for lives more temporary than our own as a veterinarian, while nodding to my emotional and passionate personal life. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Xolo Maridueña. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Neville Goddard. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A pharmacist. What advice would you give your younger self? Don’t wait so long to unapologetically live your life. No one really cares about what you do, so just do what makes you happy. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? August 2023 LA trip with my partner to see the Eras Tour. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? 2023 to present. Amazing things happened, but I would avoid certain mistakes.
Personal mission: To live a life rooted in compassion, connection, and purpose, caring for the lives that are often overlooked, supporting and protecting the people I love and creating space in the world for kindness, healing, and growth. Personal motto: Lead with heart, heal with purpose, love without condition. Favorite quote: "We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle; easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we would still live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan" (Irving Townsend).
