We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandria Alvarez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandria below.

Alexandria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I’ve had a passion for helping animals for as long as I could remember. Many of my earliest childhood memories involve experiences with animals. Growing up, I was constantly bringing home sick or injured animals and nursing them back to health. My parents let me keep lots of pets. We had cats and dogs and a few birds. Even though I could be a handful with all of the animals I’d bring home, my parents always let me be me. This includes my education and career choices. School came relatively easy to me because I enjoyed it. I love to read and I love science. It felt natural to me to excel academically. It was an internal motivation, never an outside pressure from parents. I chose to go to medical school out of my own free will. My parents never suggested it to me, as many often do. My mother was a teacher and my father an entrepreneur. They would have been just as happy with me if I’d studied any other subject. And I really put this theory to the test when I graduated medical school and told them I would be taking a break from medicine to pursue other interests and passions. I expected disappointment and maybe a long lecture from my parents, but I received neither. They supported my decision to do what feels right. Many of my medical school classmates thought I was crazy. Others called me “brave”. There were times when I doubted my decision, but my parents were always there.

It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to start a farm sanctuary, a safe haven for animals that need help. I had been saying it since I was a child: “One day, I’m going to have my own animal rescue.”. As the years went by, “one day” seemed further and further into the future. People often put their dreams on hold for some vague time in the future when they believe it will be a better time to pursue their passions. For me, one day finally came and I decided to pursue my dream of opening a farm sanctuary. Starting is the first step. So, in the fall of 2020, I started the process of creating a nonprofit animal rescue. Although we are a ways away from owning a farm, Haven Animal Rescue is now officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization as of early 2022. Achieving that has been a personal milestone for me. I feel incredibly fulfilled by taking those first steps and being on track to start the farm sanctuary that I dreamed of as a child. This year, I also returned to my career in medicine as a physician. Now I have the best of both worlds: I’m a doctor and an animal rescuer. I would never have felt comfortable doing any of this without the support and unconditional love my parents have shown me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m born and raised in Miami, FL to Cuban-American parents. I have many hobbies and interests such as vegan cooking, mountain biking, outdoor/nature activities, reading and learning. My passion is helping animals. Any time I found a sick, injured or abandoned animal, I brought it home and figured out how to help. I worked full time as a veterinary assistant when I was in college. I went to college and medical school at Florida International University. After medical school, I volunteered at a zoo for 8 months and then began volunteering with a local wildlife rescue (I’m in my third year with them). I’m currently an internal medicine resident in Miami Beach. I am most proud of founding a nonprofit animal rescue. I hope to expand the animal rescue into a farm sanctuary where we can not only provide a safe haven for animals, but also develop community programs to enhance the relationship between animals and people. I also hope to start another nonprofit at the completion of my medical training to do medical mission trips in underserved countries.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Throughout most of my childhood, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I thought it’d be perfect for me because it combined two of my loves: animals and science. By the time I got to junior year of college, I decided to go for medical school (for humans) instead of vet school. At the end of my second year of med school, I told my mom that I wanted to drop out of med school and go to veterinary school. I thought she’d oppose, but she supported the idea. Ultimately, I decided against it because I was halfway through medical school already and doing well academically. Fast forward to today, I’m happy with the choices I’ve made and my current profession as a doctor. I’ve found passion in medicine. I’m a doctor who founded an animal rescue. I think it makes me different. If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I help animals. I’m the go-to person for family and friends when they encounter an animal that needs help or have questions about their pets. Being known for that has been beneficial to my animal rescue because people know they can trust me.

Contact Info:

• Website: havenanimalrescue.org
• Instagram: @havenanimals
• Facebook: facebook.com/havenanimals