Bio of Addy Martinez 

Short Bio of Addy Martinez 

Most importantly, Addy is a classroom teacher in our Veterinary Assisting program here in Aurora. She is just wrapping up her first year teaching, and her “don’t be afraid to make mistakes” philosophy is already transforming the way her students learn in the classroom. Addy feels for today’s students and today’s pets — both of whom uniquely benefit from the work that is done in her program. 

How many years have you been teaching before coming to Pickens? 

This is actually my first year officially teaching and I started in August of 2022. 

How has your first year of teaching at Pickens been?

Overall, teaching at Pickens has been really amazing and very rewarding. Just seeing the students getting to work with animals. We’ve gone on a few field trips where the students actually get hands-on experience and an opportunity to just learn about what we do in Veterinary Medicine. 

What do you most enjoy about teaching Veterinary Assisting?

Honestly, it is just having the students become passionate about it and seeing them interact with the animals – and then taking their knowledge they learned here at Pickens into their future career settings. 

Is there a philosophy that you bring to teaching? 

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, I think we all learn from them and that’s the whole purpose of the classroom setting is to make those mistakes in a safe environment. 

How many students do you currently have? 

I currently have 17 students in my morning class and I have 11 in my afternoon class. 

What is your favorite animal? 

Oh, talking about domestics, my favorite would be a cat… If we’re talking about animals in general, it would be wolves and tigers. 

Do you have any pets?

I have two dogs. I have a Yorkie and a German Shepherd who come with me to class sometimes so the students have been able to work on them. 

Are there any important tips you can give us for taking care of any pet? 

Definitely. That is to have a good, well-established veterinarian. Right now, any veterinary clinics are very short-staffed, which is why getting into a vet clinic for an appointment can take a long time. So just establishing good relationship with the veterinarian is important. Also, just noticing anything about your pet’s health as quickly as you can and just taking them in when you have concerns. 

Thank you for reading Addy’s bio. You can contact her here if you want to hear more about Veterinary Assisting. 

“Overall, teaching at Pickens has been really amazing and very rewarding.” 

– Addy Martinez