VMCVM Staff Spotlight: Hannah Pratt
Hannah Pratt
First teaching time support specialist, Office of Academic Affairs
When did you join the veterinary college?
I joined VMCVM in March 2023, after working for 12 years as a Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant in the New River Valley.
What is your role at the veterinary college?
My role at VMCVM is the 1st teaching time support specialist in the Office of Academic Affairs. I work with the first and second year vet students to support them during their first two pre-clinical years.
The best part of being at VMCVM...
The best part of being at VMCVM is watching the students come to orientation as individuals, and seeing them grow into a community of doctors and friends as they go through the DVM journey together.
Best advice I've gotten...
Some of the best advice I have gotten is to "play nice in the sandbox." Meaning although you may not agree with someone, or even like them all that much, you still have to be nice and get a long. That's one of the main things that will help everyone to be successful.
How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline?
"Woman Supports the Future: One Vet Student at a Time"
A person who has inspired me...
Two people that have inspired me are my parents. I have watched them work hard to support myself, and my two brothers and if there were ever any struggles we never knew it. They never let us go without and supported us in anything and everything that we wanted to do. I inspire to be at least half the parents they were to me, to my son Dawson.
Can you share a memorable experience or story from your time working with animals?
In my current job I don't work with the animals, but I loved going for walks last fall during lunch and seeing the students spend time with our canine animal instructors. The best part was watching them all get adopted out to loving homes at the end of their instruction program.
What do you find most inspiring or fulfilling about working with students and helping them pursue their careers?
The most inspiring thing about working with students is seeing how hard they work to achieve their dream of being a DVM. Our students are some of the hardest working, dedicated, and motivated people I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
One misconception that all students seem to have is?
One misconception that students have is what the office of Academic Affairs does. I don't think they know that our office does scheduling, scholarships, registration, orientation, commencement and so much more. We do a lot of behind the scenes work that students have no idea about.
If I had a superpower, it would be...
If I had a superpower it would be time travel. I think it would be neat to be able to go back in time or into the future to see how things used to be, or to see what is to come.
If you could magically grant an animal the ability to talk, which one would you choose and what do you think it would say?
I would give my yorkie Rip the ability to talk. I think he would have a lot of questions like, "Why can't I eat at the table with everyone else?" "Why is your bed bigger than mine?", and "Why do I only get fed once or twice a day when you get to eat whenever you want?"
A cause I am passionate about...
A cause I am passionate about is saving honey bees. This is a hobby that I recently got into thanks to my older brother. I don't think some people realize the value that bees have on our food, and pollination and what happens if bees go extinct.
Favorite way to end the day...
My favorite way to end the day is to sit on my porch with my husband, have a glass of wine, and watch our son play in the yard.
Top of my bucket list...
My top item on my bucket list would be to go to Italy and explore all it has to offer.
My favorite quote...
"It is what it is."
If you could communicate with animals for a day, what would you ask them?
I would ask them what we as humans could do to make their lives better.
How many pets/animals live at home? Can you tell us about them?
I have one cat named Little Bit. I have 2 dogs, a mix breed named Lane, and a yorkie named Rip. I don't know if you consider them pets or not but I also have 3 honey bee hives.
Anything else to add?
I have been married to my husband, Chris Pratt for 7 years and we have a handsome 3 year old son named Dawson. I currently am going to school for a degree in business management and look forward to what the future at VMCVM holds for me.
