Vet Student Mom on the Beach!!!

Nancy Boren, Tufts

Experiences, Honorable Mention

    I’m a second year vet student; a second year vet student with two sons, a husband, three cats, a golden retriever and a pet hedgehog.  If you see an SUV with two car seats, dog fur, Goldfish cracker crumbs,  and perhaps a melted rogue lollypop in the parking lot at school, you know it’s mine.  After being a stay at home mom for 10 year, being back in school has been a big change.  As such I’ve sort of blended the two different areas of my life together and have developed a whole new image:  the vet student mom.  You know the one who shows up to curriculum night smelling like the pig barn because she just came from clinical skills, and more importantly the one that comes in her coveralls and muck boots to the boys’ classrooms, bandages their stuffed animals and answers all the kids’ questions about animal poop. 

During the last couple weeks of summer break, the boys and I went to the beach.  I was relaxing decked out in my full SPF 50 long sleeve rashguard shirt and swim shorts complete with large brimmed hat when suddenly I heard a commotion; a commotion that involved lots of laughter, squealing and a group of 5 year old boys.  I just knew they had caught something, just like how when I hear our dog retching on our couch I know she’s eaten a Lego.   I went over and sure enough there was a fish in a sand bucket.  All the Goldfish cracker crumbs in my car and melted lollipops didn’t just come from nowhere.  They were earned from years of explaining crucial life lessons like why the dog doesn’t get to eat lunch, or why the cat can’t sleep in the hedgehog cage with the hedgehog even if it would be cute or, and this last one we’ve had to have a few times, why bologna does not belong on the kitchen chandelier.  With my hat covered head held high and my white rashguard shirt glistening in the sunlight, alright maybe glistening is a strong word, I told them that I was a vet student and talked to them about why it was important they let the fish go which they did.  They I went back to my chair to apply more sunscreen and to be grateful that unlike my younger classmates  I’m at an age where bikinis are no longer cool and rashguards are all the rage.  

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Anchorman 2: Movie Star Turned Vet Student

Nina Marie, Western University

Life as a Vet Student, Honorable Mention

      

          Before vet school, I had trouble finding a summer job. Most places didn't want to commit to or train somebody that could only be around for 3 months or less. My problems were all solved the day my father read the newspaper and saw an ad for a movie open casting call starring Russell Crowe. They were looking for runner-type bodies for a movie called "Noah". In the midst of several hundred people, I was chosen to be a stunt extra in the movie. I played a Refugee and had to run towards an ark alongside many people in the pouring rain. This lead to my summer job as a background actor for television and movies. 

The photo is from one of the movies I worked on (I am all the way to the left). Surprisingly, I found out about this job via Facebook! They were looking for people with "70s looks" for a movie called "Teaching Manheim". Assuming that Teaching Manheim was some independent film, I submitted my photos to be considered as a background extra. I was selected to be in the film, which was shooting in New York City. At the time, I completely forgot that movies tend to go by a codename, and when I googled the name, I was shocked to see that it was Anchorman 2! On the day of filming, I had the fortune of being placed right next to Will Ferrell, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner. It was exciting and unreal to be standing right next to Ron Burgendy and his news team. On set, I also met Drake, who made a cameo in the movie. I saw myself in the movie trailer as well as the film itself. This was by far the best summer job I've ever had! 

A Cripple, a Burst, and a Newborn Love

Sally Moseley, St. Matthew's Veterinary School

Experiences, Winner

     Many of us can probably say that our love of animals began the first time we saw a dog, the first time we held a kitten, the first time we rode a horse.  Some fond, early memory—or group of memories—often represents our journeys to becoming veterinarians.  Also interesting with perhaps an even greater variety are the stories of our love of medicine.

Every time we prepare for interviews, someone knowingly informs us that we cannot just say we want to become veterinarians because we want to help animals.  A medical student cannot say he wants to become a doctor because he wants to help people.  Many vocations are conducive to help people, animals, or even both.  Something about medicine is particularly alluring for all of us to rack up debt while spending years in school.

Benjamin Bunny was the first vehicle that drove my love for medicine.  Prior to first grade, this was the equivalent of showing me a shiny trinket that I could have easily discarded without a thought.  Many such shiny things turned up around this time and in the next couple of years.  And many times I found my shiny thing was merely a paper clip, and it, though useful, was not the exciting thing I once thought it was.  However, in this particular case, instead of discovering a paper clip I discovered a diamond.

Benjamin Bunny died the summer before I entered first grade.

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My Life as a Penguin Trainer

Eric Littman, Tufts University

Life as a Vet Student, Honorable Mention     

     The sound of blood pounding in your ears. The blood-curdling scream of a two-foot tall dinosaur descendent echoes off of the fiberglass exhibit walls as you are charged by a being with no fear whatsoever. You stand resolute, knowing that if you flinch or attempt to escape, the little menace’s aggressive behavior will have been reinforced. Beak sinks into flesh. Flippers strike your shins with impunity. Pain. The tantrum slows and finally ends. He walks away acting like he has won, but you know the truth: his aggressive behavior did not pay off – his true goal – to make you leave his territory – has failed. You are a Penguin Trainer!

People who haven’t worked with penguins may look at this description and be utterly confused. Penguins are adorable cuddly creatures that sing, dance, surf, drink coke and slide on their bellies! Though I’ve never seen a penguin ask a polar bear for a bottle of soda, they can still be adorable and cuddly, but that takes time and hard work. Many people think of animal training as “Sit. Good boy. Here’s a treat.” And though that is one aspect of animal training, it doesn’t cover the animals that may not eat more than two to three pieces of food per day. Much of penguin training actually consists of reading behavior and knowing when to stay put, and knowing when to distance yourself. Offering treats (in this case fish) can be effective, but they make for short training sessions. Progress with penguin training is not measured in hours or days, it is hard-won in weeks, months and sometimes even years of relationship building.

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My Unusual Resume

Sarah Blau, NC State

Life as a Vet Student, Honorable Mention

“You haven’t worked in a clinic! What did you do before now?” a classmate asked me during our first month of our first year of veterinary school. I mumbled my way through an answer that skimmed the surface. You see, it’s rare to find a veterinary student today with such a hole in their resume as mine. My lack of clinical background makes me quite anxious these days and a bit embarrassed. So, I’ve decided to write about it.

 Let me introduce myself: I’ve been a science writer, a firefighter, a trail-builder, and a horse wrangler. Before all that, I was a physics student at a small liberal arts college without a clue as to where my life would take me. In just under four years, if all goes according to plan, I will be a veterinarian. And when I stop to think about it, I wouldn’t trade my past experiences for anything.

 As a science writer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development, I learned to translate complex research, weighed down by scientific-jargon, into fascinating stories that non-scientists could understand. You know how there are electronic devices that you can speak into in one language, and they translate to another language? That’s what I did at EPA—I translated science to English. Now, as a veterinary student, I realize how necessary it will be to use this skill to communicate the goals and methods of veterinary medicine to a non-veterinary audience. Without the appropriate “plain language,” how can our non-veterinary colleagues and clients understand and appreciate what we do?

 As a volunteer firefighter with the New Castle County Emergency Services Corps, I learned to confront emergency situations with a sense of calm and control. As a person of authority, you can become a solid foundation amid the chaos of an emergency. Hey, I’ll probably be doing that as a veterinarian too—providing a calm foundation during animal patient emergencies. My firefighting experience should be a big plus.

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