During my time in Logan I was fortunate to be involved in the veterinary school by being a Cache Veterinary Practitioners Association representative, Vice President of the Student Chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, and a USU School of Veterinary Medicine Ambassador. My priorities in school have revolved around maintaining a high standard of academic performance while also gaining as much practical experience as I can manage to accommodate. My determination paid off and I was selected to be the 2019 USU SVM Summer Large animal Intern, which allowed me further invaluable time with the three clinical veterinarians on staff. By the end of my second year, I finished third in my class of 30 students while amassing over 180 hours of clinical experience at the farm.

2020 proved difficult due to the pandemic and the subsequent changes to what our vet school education would look like. The move to Pullman in this situation left me feeling secluded, burned out, and anxious, especially knowing that my normal outlet of hands-on experience would be extremely limited. The turn of the year to 2021 brought new opportunities though and I found myself busy assisting with overnight lambing and traveling with a CVM professor to perform bull breeding sourness exams and routine herd work for beef producers in rural Washington. My passion for large animals theriogenology also led me to join the WSU palpation team, and we were lucky enough to be able to compete in the 2021 SAVMA competition and finish third.

During my clinical year of rotations, I enrolled in every theriogenology oration that would fit in my schedule which included two traveling beef cattle rotations, an equine rotation at USU, and a comparative large animal theriogenology rotation at WSU with Dr. Ahmed Tibary. During the latter, I was able to perform complete breeding soundness exams on multiple alpacas. I was able to visualize and diagnose common anatomical defects that make breeding difficult-to-impossible and formulate recommendations for the producer in terms of next steps for those animals. Throughout these experiences, I have continued to expand my clinical skill set and my appreciation for the discipline of theriogenology.

I have accepted a position as a rural mixed animal practioner in Blackfoot, Idaho, which poses some concern to me as far as paying off my student loans. Your generosity will help take some of that weight off my shoulders and allow me to pursue my dream without hesitation. Thank you again, and I am sincerely grateful to have the support of the North West Camelid Foundation.

Sincerely,
Rachel Hanson
Pullman, WA

Why I chose veterinary medicine:
To be able to provide small farms a comprehensive source of care and continue the shift of large animal medicine toward humane practices.

My career plans:
Hoping for a mobile, mixed animal practice serving a rural community. Plan is to provide a one-stop shop to see the barn cats, the livestock guardian dog, the horses, pigs, sheep, alpacas, cows etc.

Fun fact:
Working at the large animal hospital has been a great experience, learning how to behave around animals who are stressed/in pain. Also being lifting completely off the ground by the neck of an alpaca who was just as surprised as I was.

Lane Beu, Class of 2024
Hometown: Bloomfield, CO
Undergraduate degree: Colorado State University

Why I chose veterinary medicine:
I grew up on a small hobby farm with a lot of animals. We had horses, goats, llamas, rabbits and many more. I have always loved animals; I find great joy in training and caring for them. I chose veterinary medicine because it will allow me to help improve the quality of life of animals and strengthen the human-animal bond through the promotion of species-specific husbandry, enrichment, training, behavior, and health care.

My career plans:
I am still not completely sure about my career plans. I love working with large animals: horses, camelids, sheep and goats. I am also very interested in veterinary behavior.

Words of appreciation:
Thank you so much for your support of my veterinary school journey. Camelids were an important part of my childhood and I hope to make them a part of my veterinary career.

Kelsey Woolsey, Class of 2022
Hometown: Grants Pass, OR
Undergraduate degree: Oregon State University
Fun fact: My favorite bird is an albatross.