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Saying ‘Howdy’

This is my first blog as a CVM Ambassador! As a new ambassador, I am still in training for giving tours, which is the activity the CVM Ambassadors are most recognized for.

 

As part of my training, next week I will lead a supervised tour, which is the last step in my tours training; with a supervised tour, a “veteran” ambassador accompanies and evaluates me on the first group tour I will lead. If that goes well, I will no longer be a trainee!

 

I am very excited about this because my parents are coming down with my sister and a few of her friends who are interested in the biomedical sciences (BIMS) and veterinary medicine programs. I hope to be the one who gives their tour because there is something special about showing the most exciting parts of your job to your family.

 

Also exciting is that I am in my fifth week of my sophomore year as a BIMS major!

This semester, I’m taking organic chemistry, physics, mathematical models (research class), and bioterrorism classes. As one can image, organic chemistry and physics both have massive workloads; I find myself continually reorganizing my time to complete my homework efficiently.

 

But organic chemistry is essential to my undergraduate career because it lays the foundation for my understanding of pharmaceutical drugs. While I have not decided what exactly I want to do post-graduation, I have always found the process in which drugs travel through the body and treat their intended target unique, so no matter the route I take, understanding of the chemical compound in a medication will better my ability to do well in my profession.

 

So between my course work, my job as an ambassador, and my student organization, I am quite busy, but I’m also trying to focus on the future.

In my program, I’m working toward certifications in biomedical research and medical Spanish, and as a part of my Spanish certification, I am required to study aboard, so I am applying to go to Costa Rica in the fall of 2020. I am very excited about the opportunities that will come from going to Costa Rica, and I will update you in my next blog on if my application was accepted!

 

Science Career Fair as a BIMS Student

“Hey, let’s go to the science career fair tomorrow!” my friend tells me as we get out of our organic chemistry night lab. I was tired from a long day, and my brain was stereotyping career fairs as events that are only for engineering and business majors. What good would a biomedical sciences (BIMS) major get from an event like this?

 

But something else in me also was thinking, “Why not? Why don’t I go and dress up all business casual, put on some heels, talk to some recruiters, and give out my resume?” So I told her “let’s do it!” and off we went to prepare for the spontaneous decision we made.

 

The following day I walked into a room filled with different companies and schools. It was definitely one of the most initially intimidating experiences going in—students were eager to show their most polished and outstanding sides, while the recruiters tried to give everyone equal attention and information.

 

I started off by going to stands with internship and co-op opportunities. Most of them were graduate or professional schools, such as Rice University, Baylor School of Medicine, or the UT Health Center. I had some great conversations with the people there and learned about all the different programs and experiences they had to offer.

 

Next, I moved on to internships, in general. It didn’t matter if they wanted my major or not—I just decided to take a shot and talk to the recruiters after giving them my resume. I talked to a couple pharmaceutical companies, Phillips 66, Fujifilm and Thermo Fisher. They were all happy to talk to me and gave me a lot of insight as to what their companies were doing.

 

By this time of day, my feet hurt from my heels, my voice was dying out from all the talking, and I was ready to end my time in the career fair. Even though I didn’t get any interviews on the spot, I thought it ended up being a great experience overall and was glad that I went.

 

Little did I know what was to come.

 

I later received an email from Phillips 66 saying that they looked over my resume and credentials and wanted an interview with me! I thought there must have been a glitch in the system, judging by all of the outstanding engineer majors at our university, but I soon learned that wasn’t the case.

 

The interview went extraordinarily well. My interviewer said he admired my ability to work two part-time jobs and be on two research teams, while keeping my grades up, and thought I was an over-qualifying candidate for their internship. I don’t know the exact results yet, but I think our conversation was very promising.

 

My Fall as a ‘Veteran’ Pet Trainer

Angelica F.Fall finals are done and out of the way for undergraduates!!

Yay! I survived…barely. Finals take an emotional and physical toll on just about everyone.

But looking back on this semester, I would say the fall was, overall, successful. Throughout this semester, things got a little crazy in my house with my roommate’s two pets, an 11-month-old Great Pyrenees, Toph, and a 7 year-old-cat, Moo, as well as the service dogs I’ve been training that came in and out of the house.

Back in August, I started off with a white Labrador Retriever named Pokey. He got along very well with the other pets, rough housing and keeping Toph company and even bothering, with mutual respect, of course, Moo. Training a service dog during the semester can be difficult; however, what made it harder was my replacement dog for Pokey, who returned to the headquarters of Patriot Paws of Aggieland to learn more advanced training. He may graduate as soon as spring 2018 to a veteran in need.

In his place, I received a white English Golden Retriever named Woodward (or Woody, for short) in late September. Woody was a puppy of 7 months and only knew the command for “sit.” I had a handful in trying to balance training a puppy, keeping up with academics, and continuing my active involvement in my organizations like Pre-Vet Society and as an MSC Hospitality tour guide.

All in all, having to train a service dog, or even deciding to have a pet of one’s own, is a very difficult challenge while in college. It takes a lot of responsibility and time to care for a pet and, perhaps even more so, to train one. My word of advice is to wait before you get a pet and do some research on budgeting both the time and money that will be required to invest in one. If you already have a pet, look up ways to maintain your pet’s health by exercising, training, and feeding them healthy, correctly portioned food.

Best of luck to everyone still finishing exams and have a very Merry Christmas!

Let’s Talk Family

Howdy! My name is Chau, and I am a biomedical sciences major
with high hopes of pursuing a Doctorate of Physical Therapy as the
next step in my education. This is my second year as an ambassador,
and I am excited to get to share my love for this college from the
perspective of an undergraduate.

ChausFamily

Chau and her family

If I were given an opportunity to stand up and speak in front of
a crowd, I would speak on behalf of my parents. I would speak about
their dreams for our family and their humbling personalities that
have made me the person I am today. I am an Aggie, but one with a
unique start. When asking high school senior Chau for her reasoning
to attend Texas A&M University, she would say, “Because TAMU
has friendly campus.” This is true, but it has turned into so much
more. The Aggie Core Values are what I embody and love to share.
The pride I hold when someone asks me where I attend school is
quite extreme. It is that power and the lessons of the
12th Man that rubbed off on me and made me convert my
entire family to Aggies as well. As my senior year goes, I have
found that I reflect and have had that bittersweet mindset
throughout the year.

I had the opportunity to go to Vietnam this summer and visit
both my parents’ hometowns. My dad was a city boy, and mom was a
country girl. It had been more than 10 years since I visited
Vietnam, and I was stoked to end my anatomy and physiology-filled
summer with a trip visiting family. I got to hug my 91-year-old
grandma, the strongest women I know; drink Vietnamese coffee with
my favorite uncle almost every morning; cook vegan meals with my
aunts; and drive on scooters with my cousins. It was these little
things that were most important to me to celebrate and
appreciate.

Even more so, I got to experience my culture and my unfading
love for a grand amount of people I have only known through Skype
conversations for the majority of my life. We all share multiple
things in common, including our selfless personalities and the
honor and respect we have toward each other and the world around
us. Coming back from this trip enlightened me. I built bonds and
created connections even though we are once again on the opposite
sides of this earth. My family members are my backbone, and they
make me smile even on the most stressful days as a college student.
I like to compare my family as true Aggies because their character
and positivity is my inspiration and motivation in many of my
rigorous classes.

School is tough, but my time here has definitely been worth
every moment. Being an Aggie makes me feel like being part of a
bigger family. Throughout my three years (going on fourth, WHOOP!)
here at Texas A&M University, I don’t like to say that I have
changed, but I have. I took a huge leap attending a school that
separates me by six hours from my parents, a school with which my
family had no association. My biomedical sciences major has
broadened my horizons and let me meet people who share the same
passion for healthcare, and I have found that it is the little
moments, like bus rides to West Campus and random hallway talks
waiting for the classes to start, that remind me of the memories I
made with my family in Vietnam. The strength of my family and the
Aggie spirit is strong within me.

My Final Year

Alex C.Welcome back to Texas A&M for what is hopefully another great year!

It dawns on me that I am now a senior, meaning this is my last year as an undergraduate student here at TAMU. Whoop! It seems like just yesterday I was meeting with the BIMS advisers to discuss what my first semester schedule would be. It’s interesting to consider what being a senior really means. It means some things are coming to an end and other things are just beginning.

For one, this will be my final year as a student ambassador, a job I’ve appreciated greatly since I started as a sophomore. This job has taught me several things over the years. It’s allowed me to see firsthand the excitement this university and our vet school can bring to prospective students. Seeing the passion these future Aggies have for their educations, and for animals, is inspiring. I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to help acquaint guests with our top-notch facilities, and, fortunately, I still have the whole year to continue leading tours and meeting future students!

I only have two more semesters of classes, as well. Right now, it looks like I’ll be mostly taking classed related to my minors, public health and occupational safety and health. Considering that I plan to apply to Texas A&M’s wonderful public health grad school, that’s an exciting schedule. I’m starting to get more involved with public health-centered curricula and getting to see another side of health promotion. I’ve even begun to start searching for summer internships in order to gain more experience relating to workplace safety. Texas A&M offers are some great opportunities in that realm.

All in all, this is shaping up to be another wonderful year. I can only hope the same goes for all of my fellow Aggies. While this may be my final year as an undergraduate, I look forward to what the future brings. I hope it brings the best for all of us and am optimistic it will.