New veterinarian likes the variety her career offers

Growing up on a farm in northwest Iowa, Kim Van Driel always had an interest in animals.But the doctor behind New Hampton Veterinary Clinic, which recently opened at 703 N. Sherman Ave., didn’t always know she wanted to be a veterinarian. Before attending college, she set her sights on teaching math. It wasn’t until she found a summer job she greatly enjoyed, walking dogs in Bristol, S.D., that a veterinarian encouraged her to pursue the field.She graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2011 and went into practice right away in Greene, then worked at the Fredericksburg Veterinary Clinic before opening the practice in New Hampton.— For more on this story, see the Sept. 21 New Hampton Tribune.