On A Not-So-Different ‘Path’: Veterinary Graduate Prepares For Career In Research

Initially arriving at Texas A&M University to pursue a bachelor’s degree on the path to medical school, Samantha Hicks-Peña ultimately found her way to veterinary school.

Now, as one of the few in her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) class focusing on pathology, she is wrapping up a seven-year journey with plans to enter a career in research.

Growing With Inspiration

Growing up in Rhome, Texas, Hicks-Peña was no stranger to rural farm life. With medicine rooted in the family — her grandma in dentistry, her dad a registered nurse, and her mom a lifelong patient — a career in medicine felt like a natural course.

A strong student with solid test scores, Hicks-Peña applied to universities across the country and toured in-state schools while considering a potential future in both human and veterinary medicine.

“I was originally interested in A&M because of the BIMS program and the facilities in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences,” she said. “I saw what you could do with a BIMS degree and was like, ‘I could do that.’”

Ultimately, she became the first Aggie in her family.

Part of her “medical motivation” comes from her mom’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2005. Having one parent working in medicine and another frequently receiving care, Hicks-Peña gained early exposure to both clinical and research environments.

“Growing up with a mom who was constantly waiting for the next advancement in MS research really shaped me,” Hicks-Peña said. “Because of the success that was made in developing MS therapeutics, my mom is still alive and well today.”

Finding Her Direction

Hicks-Peña began her freshman year at Texas A&M amid the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced the same challenges of remote learning and transition that students across the country faced.

Yet, she recalls the amazement of the size of campus and quickly realizing the importance of community and networking. That led to a job at the Student Recreation Center working at the climbing wall and, ultimately, joining the rock-climbing team.

Like many pre-med students, she initially focused on checking off the traditional requirements for medical school, but over time, that path began to feel misaligned — while shadowing in orthopedics, podiatry, and internal medicine, she started questioning whether human medicine was the right fit.

That realization became clearer after an experience observing an autopsy at the medical examiner’s office.

“That was the day I decided human medicine, clinical medicine, was not for me; I realized I wasn’t enjoying the process,” Hicks-Peña said. “Thanks to BIMS, I got advice on the boxes you need to check to become a strong medical student applicant, but I kept looking to see if there was anything that would help me find my ‘why.’”

From Pre-Med to Veterinary Medicine

That search led her to research.

It was through a genetics lab on campus that she learned animal models are used to study human diseases, and the summer before her junior year, while working with a veterinarian, she was encouraged to apply for training opportunities that also might support her veterinary application.

“I got an interview with A&M and saw that they had this new program called VERO (the VMBS’ Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach initiative),” Hicks-Peña said. “It sounded like a good opportunity, so I applied and was waitlisted. I took it harder than I probably should have, because to me, that was a ‘no’ instead of ‘not yet.’ But it truly was a ‘not yet.’”

Within two weeks, her waitlist turned into acceptance into the program and she was able to  begin her veterinary coursework before even completing her bachelor’s degree. This shift marked a turning point, ultimately allowing her to complete both degrees in seven years instead of the traditional eight.

In veterinary school, she quickly chose to focus on biomedical research and pathology — fields she had grown to enjoy through her coursework. The connection between human and animal medicine, and the ability to impact both, solidified her decision.

“My first summer in vet school, I completed a 10-week externship program with MD Anderson’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, and I did my first pathology project, where we were trying to characterize a tumor model in pigs,” Hicks-Peña said. “It was supposed to mimic human liver cancer. I used pathology staining to try and figure out how the immune system was responding and making the tumors shrink without us telling it to do anything. From there, research really just stayed with me.”

Her work in both research and clinical settings continues to fuel her motivation, mirroring the advancements that helped her own family.

“I think I’m the only person in my class who has this angle on how I plan on using my DVM,” Hicks-Peña said.

A Future of Possibilities

Getting to where she is now was no easy feat but through the rock-climbing team, the support of her family, her husband, and her community, Hicks-Peña found a path she is passionate about.

After graduation, she plans to work with pharmaceutical companies in medical device research, helping design experiments, and ensuring regulatory compliance in animal research by supporting those animals’ clinical care.

While she is still figuring out where her career will ultimately take her, she’s eager to explore her options. 

“I’m still deciding if I would like to become a board-certified laboratory animal veterinarian,” Hicks-Peña said. “I may end up circling back to a pathology residency. I’m going to get out in the world and see where it takes me.”

As she prepares for the next phase of her career, Hicks-Peña is focused on gaining meaningful experience and deepening her understanding of where she can contribute most. Her training has positioned her to pursue multiple paths, each connected by a shared commitment to advancing animal and human health through research and discovery.

“I’m really grateful for the biomedical research that came before me to support my family, and I really want to dedicate my career to helping out families like mine,” Hicks-Peña said.