As a child, Dr. Raven Jackson-Jewett could have lost her dream of becoming a veterinarian. After all, there were barely any role models in the nation who looked like her.
Fortunately, she found motivation from her parents, education at Tuskegee University and a spark of inspiration from the Montgomery Zoo.
"I just believed that I could be whatever I wanted to be," she said.
Today, she's the attending veterinarian and director of veterinary care at Chimp Haven, a 200 acre chimpanzee sanctuary in Keithville, Louisiana. There, known as "Dr. J", she helps care for more than 300 chimpanzees.
The work is rewarding, and has been captured for the world to see in a six-part National Geographic documentary "Meet the Chimps," released in 2020 on Disney+.