Glenn McDonald’s 9 to 5 retail job provided a paycheck but little in the way of personal or professional fulfillment. After 10 years and with the encouragement of his wife, Alison, he decided it was time to take a cue from his childhood.
“Ever since I can remember, I have always loved animals,” says McDonald. “From taking care of the frogs and toads that lived in the window wells of my parent’s house growing up, to the numerous dogs and cats we’ve had throughout the years.”
Although he hadn’t previously considered turning his passion for animals into a career, McDonald, who currently works as a server at a local country club, decided that becoming a veterinary technician was likely his calling. He began doing research and found Macomb’s program to be well recommended, and now he knows why.
“Since my first day of class, I haven’t had one professor who hasn’t gone above and beyond in the classroom to help me or my fellow classmates in one way or another,” says McDonald, who has completed his first year in the program. “Our director, Dr. Lori, was very adamant about the opportunities that were out there for us, and to make sure we looked and applied for any or all that we could.”
The “opportunities” that McDonald references are scholarships and he has received two to help him finance his studies: the Humane Society of Macomb Veterinary Technician Scholarship and the Mulben Memorial Endowment Scholarship.
“The scholarships meant everything,” says McDonald, whose son, Elliot, will turn two in August, a month after a new baby brother or sister is born. “Our finances had taken a downturn and I was afraid I was going to have to withdraw. The scholarships have given me the opportunity to follow my passion and dreams.”
Admitting a fondness for the bigger dog breeds, McDonald and his family currently share their home in Emmett with an English bulldog, Bernese Mountain dog and a Newfoundland, as well as a calico, a tabby and two Maine coon cats. Both McDonald and his wife also share a dream of opening an animal rescue, nursing sick or injured animals back to health and either returning them to the wild or placing them with a loving family.
“Animals bring me incredible amounts of joy, and I truly love being around them,” says McDonald. “With the knowledge and skills I am learning in this program, we hope to one day see this dream achieved.”