This summer flew by! After a brief bit of down time
following final exams, I packed up a suitcase with 10 weeks worth
of supplies and boarded a plane to Ithaca, New York to participate
in Cornell University's Leadership Program for Veterinary
Students. Typically veterinary students spend their two free
summers working in clinics both to gain practical experience and to
remind ourselves of why we spend almost every waking moment
pursuing medical knowledge during the fall and spring
semesters. However, after participating in Texas A&M's
own Summer Research Program last summer, I knew I wanted to pursue
another more untraditional summer experience. This thought
led me to Cornell's program which combines a research experience
with an additional focus on the development of leadership
skills.
As a self professed nerd, I really enjoyed diving into a new lab
and learning about a previously unfamiliar topic. I was
assigned to work in a Bioengineering Lab which studied breast
cancer that had metastasized to bone. I enjoyed learning new
laboratory techniques such as culturing cells and even venturing
into the engineering world and operating mechanical testing
equipment. With a grandmother who has survived breast cancer,
it was especially rewarding to apply my veterinary medical training
to a project whose focus is new modalities of treatment for breast
cancer in humans. I hope to continue to bring a
veterinarian's perspective to human medical research as I pursue a
career in Laboratory Animal Medicine. This is an exciting
field that is very prominent here at Texas A&M
University. Check out this inspiring NY Times article a
fellow Ambassador sent my way.
I couldn't help but feel a little sense of pride as I read about
another way our college is making a difference in both human and
animal health. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Cornell, but
nothing beats coming home to such a great environment at Texas
A&M!
I learned a lot about leadership, public speaking, research, and
team work this summer (a necessary skill when you have 25
veterinary students living under one roof for 10 weeks). But,
most importantly, I returned this fall with motivation and a
renewed dedication to my studies. I know I started to feel a
little burned out as I crammed for final exams last spring, and I
hoped my summer experience would provide the spark I would need to
propel myself through the last two years of my DVM.
Thankfully, I found that spark and I am excited to learn more about
medicine so that I will be better prepared to facilitate the future
research projects that will advance both human and animal
health. Each day is a new chance to advance my skill set and
knowledge as I pursue this goal. While some days the work
load seems never-ending, I hope to hold onto that spark and
remember what brought me to A&M and keeps me trekking on.