Stanford Graduate Comes to Foothill College to Find Her Passion

Dr. Ann Wimmer is an acupuncturist and chiropractor in the Bay Area, but her regular clients are not quite who one might imagine. As a specialized veterinarian, Wimmer tends specifically to horses and their many needs. “I make nice horses feel better for nice people,” she explains. As so often happens in life, Wimmer’s career trajectory was hardly ever linear or predictable.

Wimmer was born in Michigan, and her family settled in Los Gatos when she was 10 years old. She went on to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in linguistics. After a couple of jobs in various industries, Wimmer decided that it was time to pursue the career of her dreams.

Consequently, Wimmer attended Foothill College in 2000 to obtain the prerequisite credits for veterinary school. Four years later, she went off to attend the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

 For the next 10 years, Wimmer worked as a “large practice” vet treating horses, sheep, pigs, goats, llamas, and alpacas. A decade of getting kicked  around by large animals convinced her to transition into a calmer practice.

By 2017, Wimmer was working as a specialized veterinarian, mainly with horses, providing acupuncture and chiropractic services. These specialized services aim to alleviate soreness and discomfort for growing young horses as well as horses tired out by riding lessons. They also serve to keep old horses comfortable beyond their working years.

Wimmer says she couldn’t have reached the career of her dreams without the help of Foothill College. Today, she not only remembers the excellent teaching at Foothill but says that for students who take their classes seriously and do the required work, it is comparable to a private school education. 

 Among the instructors and classes at Foothill that hadthe greatest impact on Wimmer are Dr. Kathleen Armstrong and her organic chemistry class, a rigorous subject that many students dread. It was in this class that Wimmer learned to “stay in the middle of the problem,” which means to stay focused and not give up. Years later, she still applies this problem-solving technique in the field when she struggles to help an animal. The technique helps her stay calm in critical times until she can determine the best method of care.

“There is something truly satisfying about being able to assess a problem and know what to do about it and have the equipment and skills to actually do it,” Wimmer says.

 Wimmer is most proud of how well she communicates with her clients and manages challenging cases. Her advice to students wanting to follow a similar career path is to simply start now even though it might seem daunting at first. She wholeheartedly encourages everyone to take a leap of faith.

 When asked what she would do if she had $100,000 to donate to Foothill, Wimmer replies she would pay it forward by funding scholarships for students in Dr. Armstrong’s chemistry classes. She also would donate money directly to professors to support great teaching and encourage them to keep inspiring generations of Foothill College students.