Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Goff.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I used to be afraid of so much. As a young girl, I was a dreamer. There was so much I wanted of life but I didn’t possess the skills to process and communicate my thoughts, desires, and dreams. I was quiet and afraid. The only intention that I was confident enough to verbalize was that I loved animals, and one day, I would be a veterinarian. I held tightly onto this dream, it was the shiny future that offered an escape from the problems life brought to me as a child. And the plight of my childhood followed me into the teenage years. Elementary school, middle school, high school… I never felt complete in these places, I didn’t quite belong. A heavy sadness forged its way into my heart. My friends identified me as lazy, looking back however, I was unknowingly depressed. My dejection amplified when I wasn’t accepted into the colleges that would prep me for veterinary school and my only option was to enroll in community college.
Fearful I would never reach my goals, I started searching for something, anything, to give me an edge. I was desperate to find a golden ticket to the university of my dreams.
On a whim, I decided to watch practice for the women’s rowing team for my school. How this happened, I’m not entirely sure considering it involved me waking up at 4 am! I tend to blame fate because I immediately fell in love. It took one morning of watching the sport for my life to completely change.
It took me a long time to recognize the unhealthy state of my mind. Rowing was my catalyst for growth, it changed my heart. It gave me the space I needed to feel my own value. It taught me passion, dedication, grit, patience, the definition of hard work, and most importantly, strength.
Through rowing, I was able to transfer to a four-year university, on scholarship, and be the first woman in my family to graduate with a Bachelors degree. Now, I’m a college graduate with a degree in the discipline of science, and looking to make a change in the world through research and eventually veterinary medicine!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Growing up, I had this picture in my mind of what I wanted my life to look like. And when life turned out so unrecognizably far from that picture, I started to lose hope in myself. I blamed my abilities, my intentions, my connections, my intelligence (or lack thereof), my everything for not being able to control the world around me. And I still do this… I think we all do this. No road is ever 100% smooth, because that’s not life! Life is tricky and hard, and it honestly really messes you up sometimes. And I’ve learned that is totally okay. The periods of my life where I’ve had the deepest surges of self-growth have been the periods where life has hurt the most, the periods where I’ve lost control. It’s not about always having everything under control and running smoothly, it’s about being there for yourself, and others around you, when life is everything but smooth.
My advice to young women is to be kind to yourself and to be kind to others. I read a book once that said, “Breath in the pain of the situation, wishing that all beings could be free of it and breathe out loving-kindness to all suffering beings, including yourself!” I used to have the impression that strength in a woman meant composure. If I was strong, I wouldn’t cry or complain, simply grin and bear it. Through my journey and own self-reflection, I’ve found that to be far from true. Vulnerability and authenticity is my strength now. In painful situations, I’ve become willing not to only endure it, but to also let it awaken my heart and soften me. I embrace it. Let it help you feel your heart, and better understand your soul. Know your own mind with honesty and fearlessness. See what leads to more freedom and what leads to more suffering.
“She understood that sharing her truth connected her to the greater human truths– of longing, abandonment, security, hope, wonder, prejudice, mystery, and, finally, self-discovery: the realization of who you really are and the liberation that love brings.”
Oprah Winfrey on Maya Angelou
What has helped me the most is reading! Start reading a lot of books, and podcasts can also be your best friend. I read/listen to every topic possible. The more information you gather, from different sources, the more you’ll open your mind. You’ll hear and think of ideas that will stimulate you, challenge you, and develop you as a person.
And having a group of supportive, loving people is invaluable. Surround yourself with strong, genuine, compassionate women. They will be your rock. And having people you admire around yourself makes you hold yourself to a higher standard. You become better by simply having them in your life. Having a mentor is awesome too!
Please tell us about what you do.
I’m currently a veterinary assistant in an animal hospital. It is my responsibility to assist and implement the veterinarians’ medical treatment plan. This has given me in-depth, hands-on experience in laboratory procedures and diagnostics. I often obtain and analyze samples through various processes, including venipuncture, cytology, radiography, urinalysis, and more. Through such experience I quickly found microbiology and research to be an area I wish to pursue further in my career. I graduated from CSU Sacramento in December with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. Through my education, I developed a strong theoretical understanding of quantitative analysis, laboratory techniques, biochemical pathways, aseptic technique, and scientific writing. In my final year, the academic coursework was concentrated on quantitative chemical analysis in conjunction with formal report writing, which flourished a passion for research. I contributed to a campus-wide research project called The Sustainable Interdisciplinary Research to Inspire Undergraduate Success (SIRIUS). SIRIUS was focused on researching the human impacts on the American River Ecosystem and applied molecular approaches to examine fecal coliform bacteria and identify the presence of associated disease-causing factors. Water and soil samples gathered from the American River were plated on selective and differential media to isolate colony forming units, where after different biochemical assays were utilized for analysis of metabolic pathways. Genomic DNA was extracted and subsequently assayed for disease-causing genes including those mediating toxin production, antibiotic resistance, and detoxification of organic and inorganic antimicrobial compounds. Throughout five years of education, I acquired over 1,000 hours of laboratory education and experience. I now aspire to use that experience to heighten the field of research.
It is my goal to contribute to the field of research for a few years before committing myself to veterinary school, and San Diego is the place for that to happen. San Diego’s research institutes are globally recognized and considered to be the backbone of scientific innovation. It is the genesis of groundbreaking scientific advances that yield cures for diseases and state of the art medical devices. In addition, genomic research stemming from San Diego has been a catalyst for scientific discovery worldwide. Within San Diego, scientific research and development affects more than 100,000 local jobs and generates more than $14.4 billion and is a sector that is exponentially growing.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Growing up, there was a lot of struggle in our family life. For years, those issues generated seclusion of my emotions. I was upset, afraid and unable to cope. Feeling that way at such a young age developed both a deep fear and great stubbornness to achieve “more” for my life. While I didn’t possess the coping mechanisms to handle adversity well, I used it to build a determination to continue on when life got hard; a determination to succeed when I was granted failure. That fear and stubbornness from my childhood slowly evolved to grit, which now helps me achieve the dreams I had as a child.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kayleeranae.wordpress.com
- Instagram: kayleeranae
Image Credit:
myself/ my best friend
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