Alongside my team of veterinary social workers, I helped develop the Access to Veterinary Care Circle, a platform designed to improve access to veterinary care, one conversation at a time. The AVC Circle is a virtual space for sharing resources and building networks to bring awareness and take action in our communities. My role as a veterinary student in this space is to bring a medical perspective to blend with veterinary social work, manage communications with members, put forth ideas for community events, and continue to build the AVC Circle.

As an on-call veterinary assistant for small animal surgical emergencies, I am responsible for assisting veterinarians during surgeries, setting up and cleaning operating rooms, cleaning surgical instruments, and performing any other tasks required to allow emergency surgeries to run smoothly.

As a veterinary assistant, I worked with a large team of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, customer service representatives, and other veterinary assistants to provide care for companion, exotic, and farm animals. My interactions with pet parents included gathering histories in both general practice appointments and emergency settings, as well as filling medications and explaining them to pet parents along with estimates and discharges. I provided or assisted with treatments, diagnostics, vaccinations, nail trims, and more. I also assisted with emergency and surgery hospital admissions as well as triages and body care.

I walked, handled, and provided enrichment for dogs and cats, as well as performed essential tasks for shelter operations. I was one of a few volunteers granted the ability to work with dogs with minor behavioral concerns, and I was permitted to take dogs to off-site locations for enrichment and as an adoption opportunity. Through Washington College, I reestablished the on-campus club Animal Impact and served as its president during the spring 2023 semester. As president, I was responsible for coordinating transportation to the ACSKC for club members and overseeing their work as volunteers. I created fundraisers and outreach events to deepen the connection between the college and the shelter, and I helped establish a summer internship at the ACSKC through the college's Career Center.

As a General Biology Laboratory Teaching Assistant, I prepared materials for each lab, assisted students with procedures, technology, and questions they had, and cleaned the lab for the next section. I did any other task required of me by the laboratory professor or coordinator.

As a Tutor Guru, I helped to train new tutors in the Office of Academic Skills and served as a point of contact for tutors should they have any questions or concerns. I worked with the director of OAS to promote and improve the services offered and increase students' access to accommodations and support.

Over the course of my senior year, I worked with Dr. Daniel Kochli on research regarding the effects of isolation housing on cue and goal-directed behavior in rats. I collaborated with a team of students to perform three behavioral assays: Pavlovian Lever Autoshaping, Morris Water Maze, and Drinking in the Dark Paradigm. I also performed a blood draw for an ELISA test as well as a perfusion and brain removal for brain fixation and slicing.

I am certified through the College Reading and Learning Association, and I tutor students for a variety of introductory and advanced chemistry courses including Chemical Principles of Inorganic Molecules, Reactions of Organic Molecules, Quantitative Chemical Analysis, Chemistry of the Elements, and Biochemistry. Additionally, I tutor students for Academic Skills, which are the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom like test-taking, note-taking, creating and managing schedules, reducing procrastination, communicating with professors, etc. This one-on-one tutoring allows me to build rapport and make students comfortable where they might not be in a group setting. Aside from helping students learn the material, I focus on building their confidence and ability to learn on their own.

As a course mentor, I attend a chemistry course that I have previously completed to perform in-class tutoring, and I organize weekly review sessions outside of class hours to help students cement their knowledge in the topics they learned that week. This involves creating PowerPoints and worksheets as well as communicating through GroupMe and email. I have significantly developed my public speaking and presenting skills through this job, as I have to be able to reteach concepts in my own words and thoroughly explain how and why a problem is solved. I focus on teaching students how to learn, because that is a skill they will use for the rest of their college education. Most importantly, I use this time to create strong connections with students and to provide them with opportunities that they otherwise might not get in the classroom. I offer insight into the programs and clubs I am involved in and encourage students to ask me or their faculty questions about opportunities that will enrich their education.

Over the course of ten weeks, I continued research with Dr. James Windelborn to determine the effects of hypoxia on zebrafish (Danio rerio) learning and memory. We successfully established a color discrimination operant conditioning model to demonstrate zebrafish learning and memory. I presented this research at the Eastern Psychological Association in March 2023.

I fed, handled, and cleaned the crates and kennels of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and more. In addition to routinely giving oral medications to dogs, I occasionally administered vaccines, microchips, topical medications, and medicated baths. I also drew blood, ran heartworm tests, and administered vaccines, microchips, and oral medications to dogs. I learned quickly about dog behavior and eventually was assigned a "project dog" whom I worked closely to help combat behavioral issues. When help was needed, I often filled in during shifts as a team leader to help direct other team members, and I often trained new volunteers how to feed and handle the animals.

I continued the roles I had as an intern, feeding and handling animals and cleaning their enclosures. I also continued to assist with their medical care. With experience and official training I was granted the second-highest volunteer label, meaning I was permitted to handle almost all horses and donkeys on my own. I was also allowed to attend a trip to an off-site location for unadoptable/wild horses to assist in providing them medical and farrier care. I was offered a position as a shift-leader and would have accepted if college did not return to in-person learning in fall 2021.

I fed, handled, and cleaned the crates and kennels of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and more. I shadowed and assisted the veterinarian with physical exams, vaccines, blood draws, and on-site treatment.

I fed, handled, and cleaned the pens, stalls, and enclosures of horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, cows, chickens, turkeys, ducks, emus, and more. I occasionally drew blood, administered vaccines, gave oral and topical medications to horses, and assisted in restraining goats and sheep for vaccinations. I also assisted during veterinarian, farrier, and dentist visits. I learned a great deal about equine rescue and rehabilitation as well as farm animal upkeep and care.

Over the course of ten weeks, I worked with Dr. James Windelborn on behavioral research to determine the effects of hypoxia on zebrafish learning and memory. We performed daily fish husbandry and developed and ran a protocol. I learned how to use a dissolved oxygen meter, collect data in EthoVision, dissect zebrafish, and prepare zebrafish brain tissue slices using a cryostat. I gained valuable knowledge about the scientific process that I wouldn't have gotten within the confines of course laboratory experience, and I enjoyed using existing literature to shape our protocol as we figured out important variables regarding zebrafish needs and behavior. I completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Program training for both IACUC rules and handling zebrafish prior to my experience.

I performed various tasks to take care of wildlife dropped off by the public from their time of intake to their release. This included assisting in treatment upon arrival, cleaning and maintaining indoor and outdoor enclosures and habitats, handling and transporting animals, and preparing food for, hand-feeding, and tube-feeding a variety of animals. I did this for a plethora of songbird species, waterfowl, raptors, squirrels, opossums, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, groundhogs, fawns, mice, turtles, snakes, etc. During the height of their breeding seasons, I became skilled at hand and tube-feeding altricial chicks, rabbit and squirrel kits, and opossum joeys. When necessary, I gavaged raptors and bottle-fed fawns. I became a lead volunteer on my shift and trained new volunteers in proper wildlife care, feeding, and handling.

During foaling season, I was on call to care for ill, weak, or other foals birthed at the hospital. This involved monitoring foals' health and their associated medical equipment as well as performing routine basic health checks including TPRs and other vital signs. Additionally, I routinely got the foals standing to nurse, performed umbilicus soaks, and used a refractometer to measure urine specific gravity. When needed, I applied topical medications to sores and milked mares.