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A Lesson in Adaptation

There is an overarching topic that is seemingly inescapable in our world today. COVID-19 and its many implications are constantly brought to mind whether I am watching the news, talking with my parents, or browsing the almost empty grocery aisles. This is a very uncertain time.

Throughout this season it has been easy to slip into a negative mindset, focused on the things I am missing during my last semester of college and the current state of our world.

However, I am realizing throughout all the events out of my control I still have a choice. How will I respond?

First, I am making the choice to remain positive and use this season to challenge my ability to practice mental toughness. I am learning to release control and adapt to unique circumstances.
Although I typically thrive on structure and planning, this is a learning experience where I get to adapt to a season of constant change.

The extra week off for Spring Break has allowed me to spend quality time with my family. I have played with my little cousins, baked bread with my mom, and spent hours outside enjoying the beautiful weather with my dogs.

As a family, we are brainstorming ways to serve our community during this time that is affecting so many. There are many amazing organizations that are working very hard to provide for families who are hurting due to the current environment. I am hoping to play a small part in helping support these families.

As my classes shift to an online format next week, I am choosing to be flexible. I’m not sure what the remainder of the semester is going to look like academically, but I am ready to continue
expanding my knowledge in a new way.

It will be a challenge to learn from a distance without the comradery of peers and interaction with professors, but I am looking forward to growing from this experience. I know I am not alone in being nervous about the shift in class structure. Friends and even professors have expressed their worries, but we are a community of Aggies who are strong and resilient. I am confident that we will support each other throughout this change.

Reflecting on my college experience as a whole, I am incredibly thankful. I am thankful for my time as a BIMS ambassador where I got to represent this amazing college. I am thankful for the amazing professors I have encountered in my classes. I am thankful for my wonderful friends I have met along my journey. I am thankful for my family who has encouraged and supported me through the ups and downs. Finally, I am thankful for Texas A&M for providing me with so much more than a good education.

Adventures in Thailand

As a senior biomedical sciences (BIMS) major, I am currently in the middle of “test week.” Anatomy, biochemistry II, and animal nutrition have proven to be very difficult classes and the tests all fell on the same week.

Although my undergraduate career is sometimes overwhelming, I have also made memories that I will never forget.

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a four-week study abroad program in Thailand. I am in awe when I think back on the experiences I had.

During the pre-veterinary trip, I got to work with elephants, horses, cats, and dogs. I learned about the heartbreaking abuse elephants in Thailand are experiencing and joined in the protection efforts.

I also served at an elephant sanctuary that houses more than 40 elephants that have been rescued from abusive conditions. These elephants are allowed to live their lives freely at the sanctuary and simply be elephants.

It was an eye-opening and inspiring experience that reminded me of the importance of advocating for animals that can’t advocate for themselves.

Apart from the animal experience, I also loved learning about Thai culture, interacting with local people, and eating the delicious food. I got to tour extravagant temples, take a cooking class, hike, zip line, scuba dive, and experience so many other once in a life time moments.

Throughout my time in Thailand, I developed new passions and adopted a more global perspective. It was a very unique trip and one that I will never forget. I am so thankful for the memories I made on this wonderful adventure.

Stepping back into reality, I spent the rest of the summer taking classes, working, and completing my veterinary school application. But I was able to draw on my experience abroad when going through the motions of everyday life.

Now a few tests, football games, and an Aggie ring later, I am almost halfway through the semester. I am hoping that throughout the rest of my senior year, I will stay motivated but also continue making lasting memories.

‘Final’ Motivation

It’s that time of the semester! The time where class days are dwindling and stress levels are growing.

Madelaine and an alpaca at a Pre-Vet Society event
Madelaine and an alpaca at a Pre-Vet Society event

Finals can be a little overwhelming, but the excitement of summer is a great source of motivation. My summer plans will be keeping me very busy; I’m really looking forward to all the different opportunities ahead of me.

Among those opportunities, I will be participating in a study abroad program through which I will spend four weeks in Thailand. I am beyond excited!

We will spend each week in a different region of Thailand as we gain a better understanding of how animal, human, and environmental health interact. I will have the opportunity to shadow a veterinarian at an elephant sanctuary, explore a new culture, and help with coral reef restoration.

This trip is going to be something I will never forget, and I am so excited to gain a broader view of veterinary medicine.

When I get back from my trip abroad, reality will settle in and it will be time to apply to veterinary school.

It is both exciting and terrifying to think about. I can’t believe how quickly my time at A&M has flown by.

The pre-veterinary resources here at A&M have already helped me so much in this process.

Recently I attended an application workshop that gave me a better understanding of the online application.

Fender smiles for the camera.
Fender smiles for the camera.

The TAMU Pre-Vet Society also has given me very unique animal experience that I never expected to receive. For example, I have been able to volunteer at alpaca farms, attend equine clinics, and help in the exotics room at Vet School Open House.

I’m very thankful that I am not going through this process alone. Applying to vet school is going to be nerve racking but I am excited to see where it takes me.

But before I can step into summer I have to face my final exams.

I am trying my best to be diligent and finish this semester strong. Things that keep me grounded include my friends, family and, especially, my dog, Fender.

Although the stress of finals is upon me, I know there is an end in sight, and I am hopeful that all of this hard work will be worth it.

‘Conquering’ the Vet School

As a biomedical sciences major, I have had the opportunity to attend classes in these inspiring buildings since the first semester of my freshman year, which was an experience I never expected to have. I am on a pre-veterinary path and being able to learn in the very rooms I hope to attend veterinary school in has been really motivating and exciting.

The laboratories, lab equipment, and sometimes even professors are shared between the veterinary and BIMS students. As I walk into my microbiology lab, I am reminded of what all of my hard work is leading to; seeing the veterinary students outside in between their lectures gives me a glimpse into what their lives are like. Each time I take the journey on Bus 9 to this area of campus I feel blessed to have the opportunity to learn in this environment.

Recently, I took my dog Fender to A&M’s Small Animal Hospital. This was another unique experience that showed another side of the veterinary school. It was so neat hearing from the fourth-year veterinary student who was seeing my dog under the supervision of a veterinarian; it also was an educational experience for me—not to mention I got a 20 percent student discount!

I love how much of the veterinary school world I have been able to observe and learn from as an undergraduate.

Finally, as a BIMS Ambassador, I’ve been able to give tours of the veterinary school to prospective students. Every time I walk the halls and tell stories on tours, I can almost feel the years of history, knowledge, and discovery that live here.

It inspires me to keep pushing forward toward my goals, even when the journey becomes challenging at times. When I graduate, I hope I will be able to look back on these experiences and say “I came, I saw, I conquered.”