Enjoying the Journey
Winter break has reminded me how fortunate I am to be a veterinary student at Texas A&M University. During finals, it’s difficult to remember to enjoy the journey of becoming a veterinarian. Winter break is a perfect time to relax and get excited for spring semester. Many prospective DVM students have visited Texas A&M over the holidays. It’s great to be able to share all of the things I love about our college, from our top-notch hospital to our fantastic professors, clinicians, and administration. Especially around the holidays, the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences feels like one big family.
Winter break is also an exciting time for the future DVM Class of 2019. I can vividly remember getting ready for the admissions interview last year, and so I really enjoyed giving tours to the interviewees when they visited this weekend. Many current veterinary students volunteer to welcome the applicants and make the interview process as stress-free as possible. The applicants have been dreaming of attending vet school for a long time, and I can’t wait to see their hard work pay off when acceptance letters arrive!
For part of break, I returned to Corinth Vet Clinic, where I volunteered as an undergrad. It’s amazing to be able to apply what I learned in first semester to help actual patients. I was able to identify fractures on a radiograph of a dog with a broken foot, identify abnormal cells on a cytology microscope slide of lymphoma, and restrain a rat for a physical exam. These were skills I learned in my small animal anatomy, histology, and physiology courses respectively. Helping at the clinic also reminded me that I have a lot to learn before I graduate! I am excited to see what skills I can learn in the second semester.
While I was in Denton, Texas, I came across a newspaper article that I have saved since 2007 as a memento of when I decided I wanted to become a veterinarian. As I was re-reading the article, I realized that it quoted Dr. Bonnie Beaver, my animal behavior professor during the first semester of vet school. It’s incredible to realize that I am taking classes taught by people who inspired me to become a veterinarian. I hope that someday I will be able to encourage the next generation of veterinarians, but right now I am enjoying the journey of becoming one myself.