In grade school, she hoped to be a veterinarian during the week and an archaeologist on the weekends. Lofty goals to be sure, but after meeting Lexie Ogdahl, you realize if anyone could achieve those goals, she can.
The junior animal science major from Medina, Minn., chose the University of Minnesota Crookston because of its size and her desire to work hands-on. She’s found countless opportunities to work with animals in various settings, including testing deer for chronic wasting disease with the Department of Natural Resources.
Ogdahl was once satisfied to sit back and play it safe. But that was before her study abroad trip to New Zealand, which challenged her to push herself. “I was really afraid of heights, but how could I not take a chance to bungee jump?” she says. That jump, and many of the opportunities that followed, caused Ogdahl to sit back and reevaluate.
“I believe studying abroad not only allowed me to face my fears, it made me see the world in a whole new way,” Ogdahl says. “There is so much more outside your safety net. Instead of hanging back, I now say ‘yes’ to things I would have easily said ‘no’ to before.”
She remains passionate about her career choice, and is now considering a semester abroad to study marsupials and monotremes in Australia, or perhaps a trip to Ireland to learn more about her family’s heritage.
“The world is a different place to me now,” she says. “And I want to see as much as I can. The more I experience, the better prepared I will be for the future and my work as a veterinarian.”
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