Erika First graduated from Michigan State University in 2015 after double majoring in Animal Science and Fisheries & Wildlife. She then received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 2019. She enjoys working with cats and dogs and has a soft spot for geriatric animals. Outside of traditional veterinary medicine, she also has an interest in aquaculture medicine, and has completed her CertAqV through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. First lives in the South Bend area with her husband, their tuxedo cat, Caesar, and their English Springer Spaniel, Cayuga. Her hobbies include hiking, collecting rocks, arts and crafts, and playing ice hockey. She also has the goal of visiting every US National Park, and has visited over 35 parks so far. Dr. First's last conference was the AVMA Conference where she spent her time increasing her knowledge base about feline behavior, feline CKD, euthanasia, aging pet behavior problems, and common skin tumors [citation].