From Milking Cows at 3AM to Belting Show Tunes in Scrubs: How Isabella DiDio Is Changing Vet Med With Heart, Humor, and Jazz Hands

When Isabella DiDio talks about veterinary medicine, her eyes light up like a spotlight on opening night.

Before donning scrubs at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Isabelle “Bella” DiDio was already performing—whether on stage in over 75 musicals or behind the scenes at 3AM, milking 100 dairy cows as part of the University of Vermont’s elite CREAM program. While most students were still sleeping, she was learning the gritty, real-world lessons that would shape her path in vet med. “I don’t have to get up at 6AM—I get to,” she says with a smile, echoing the advice from her beloved undergrad professor, Dr. Wadsworth, who taught her to lead with gratitude.

Bella’s interests span small animal surgery to specialty medicine—but truthfully? She’s captivated by all of it. “Everything I do is an opportunity,” she says, a mantra that’s carried her through late-night goat milk microbiome research, an internship at the Staten Island Zoo, and her bold decision to finish undergrad in just three years.

Her path hasn’t been without sacrifice. “Leaving my closest friends in Vermont to start vet school early was the hardest decision I’ve made,” she shares. “But if I hadn’t made that choice, I wouldn’t have met the amazing people I’ve found at Cornell.”

Outside the clinic, Bella is unapologetically obsessed with theater. Since age 11, she’s worked summers at an all-inclusive children’s theater, teaching kids—of all abilities—the power of putting your heart on the stage. “It’s more than just performing. It’s about creating something you’re proud of and building a community where everyone feels like they belong,” she says. Her dream? If vet med hadn’t stolen her heart, she might’ve run a children’s theater company of her own.

That same sense of compassion and inclusivity guides her today. Whether it’s nursing a chicken named Cluck Norris back to health after a hawk attack in fifth grade (her earliest vet memory) or belting show tunes in the car after a hard day, Bella leads with creativity, determination, and humor. “Those three qualities got me where I am,” she says. “You need all three to power through—and to look back and want to do it all over again.”

When life feels overwhelming, she grounds herself in gratitude. “Every night, I journal the little things I’m thankful for. Not big stuff—just that my car started, I talked to my dad a little longer, or there was enough milk for my coffee,” she says. “Practicing gratitude softens the world.”

And when asked who she admires most? She doesn’t miss a beat. “My Baba Luda,” she says, remembering her great-grandmother who fled Ukraine as a child and built a life from nothing. “She never complained. She was just so happy we could be together.”

In many ways, Isabella DiDio is carrying on her legacy—not just healing animals, but creating spaces of joy, resilience, and belonging. Whether in the clinic or the wings of a stage, she’s here to make a difference. And she’s just getting started. It is no wonder Bella is a Vet Candy Rising Star!!