SYMCO 2019

Sarah Muirhead from Iowa State University was awarded a scholarship from SAVMA's International Veterinary Experience Committee. Read on to learn more about what she experienced!

SYMCO 2019 was hands-down, the most incredible adventure of my life. I had never been to a foreign country, and if that wasn’t enough, I was traveling to South Africa by myself. I had some anxieties about missing my flight or losing my luggage, but the arrival was smooth and uneventful. The South African committee members greeted us at the airport, and we went on our way to the University of Pretoria. Slowly throughout the day, we began to meet more local and international veterinary students. 

On the second night, we celebrated our different backgrounds by bringing different foods, drinks, and customs to culture night. We left University of Pretoria and began the long journey throughout the north-eastern part of South Africa. We stopped in Durban, and I swam in the ocean for the first time. In fact, my first time swimming in the ocean was cage diving with sharks! When we arrived at Kruger national park, we were about halfway through the symposium and exhausted. Yet you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the excitement seeing animals in Kruger for the first time. People lept out of their seats to see the elephant walking through the bush and the troupe of baboons running across the road. 

After visiting Kruger, we traveled to a rhino farm and learned more about darting and dehorning. In fact, we had a full two days of darting from the ground, shooting paintballs from a helicopter and dehorning a total of 20 rhinos. It was an incredible learning opportunity – I think I said it was the best day of my life every day for at least 7 of the 18 days. On our last full day together, we had a community outreach event. We teamed up with a non-profit organization called Lessons in Conservation to teach 45 elementary kids about the importance of conservation. After the lesson, we took them on their first game drive to see South Africa’s wildlife! 

Other activities included: numerous lectures from wildlife professionals; visits to an elephant sanctuary, local cultural village, rhino sanctuary, and uShaka marine world; LOTS of time on the bus; wine and gin tastings; sunrise game drives; and lots of Braii. 

We started as 60 international students, 15 local students and 10 devoted committee members. By the end of 18 exhilarating days, we became 85 friends and colleagues. I am honored to have been chosen to represent Iowa State University CVM as one of the United States delegates. Thank you so much for the scholarship to help fund this life-changing experience!

Snow Anyone?

First Snow in Ithaca

Zoe Daniels from Cornell University submitted her adorable pup for the Cutest Pet Category! What a cute lil bagel!

What Finals?

Even though finals are the last thing on everyone's minds, enjoy this funny meme submitted by Melanie Runkle from North Carolina State University!

Zoobiquity Conference

The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Emory University and the Clinical Translational Science Alliance (CTSA), will host Zoobiquity ATL September 13, 2019 at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta. The latest in a long line of conferences celebrating the best-selling book, Zoobiquity, the conference will bring together veterinary and human medicine professionals to advance biomedical innovation through collaboration. 

Any student interested in the conference, click here for more information and registration! Early bird registration ends on August 15, 2019 and the cost to attend is $125 for students.

South African Externship

Submitted by Whitney Brown from Ross University

This past April I was fortunate enough to participate in an externship with SA WorldVets in Hoedspruit, South Africa. Working with Dr. Chris Boshoff and his assistant Yke Osmers in the field and Dr. Nina Boshoff in the community was an exceptional experience. Not only did I get the opportunity to learn the intimate details of wildlife medicine and see, first hand, what grueling, skilled, and rewarding work it is, I also got to connect with the community in a meaningful way. This was especially felt during the small animal outreach day working in local communities. Overall, the passion and care of owners and vets for animals both large and small bred in me an even greater excitement and passion for veterinary medicine and all its facets.

Wading through the tall grass at sunset to dart impalas and nyalas was certainly memorable, yet experiencing the nuances of different cultures had a lasting effect on me. It will absolutely affect my practice of veterinary medicine as well. As a veterinarian, getting to know and understand the community you serve is a fundamental part of providing veterinary care to our animal patients. During my time in South Africa, I began to realize that as we travel, we often seek to understand the history of a place, especially if it is a place of personal ancestral importance. We grasp for the connection to our ancestors and the history of the land. However, what is ultimately found is a connection with those who call it home. We hold on to the past in a hope to understand ourselves, but it is truly the new connections and relationships formed that shape us. We craft our life story, and those we come into contact with mark the pages of our tome. May we not be bound by geography, color, or creed as we explore the world and discover ourselves. Likewise, may the people we meet and the experiences we have, be used to mold us into more understanding and welcoming veterinarians. As we share our stories, we will hopefully see the beauty in both our commonalities and differences.