Veterinary student representatives give companies and organizations voices on campus
As veterinary students look to find their passions and paths within their profession, they have the opportunity to become student representatives for various companies and organizations.
These positions allow them to make connections, support their studies, and explore what working for that company or organization might be like.
The opportunities are seemingly endless, ranging from corporate veterinary companies, pharmaceuticals, pet food, organized veterinary medicine, and more.
Traditionally, companies prefer first- or second-year students to become their representatives and to stay on until either third year prior to clinics or graduation when they can pass on their position to a new student.
Staying a representative for multiple years helps to strengthen connections and build a better resume.
Skylar Merkle, Class of 2026, represents both United Veterinary Care (UVC), a corporate veterinary company, as well as the American Heartworm Society (AHS), which focuses on research and education for the prevention of heartworms in animals.
In her AHS role, she provides students with a free lunch and educational session every semester. Additionally, she sends out monthly quizzes and interactive games with heartworm information to entice the students to stay most up to date on what the society is recommending.
“I think being a student rep allows me to network and find connections within outside organizations from the college,” Merkle said.
Brittany Reed, Class of 2028, represents Southern Veterinary Partners (SVP), a corporate veterinary group, and is Co-Champion (their word for their student representatives) for the Veterinary Information Network (VIN).
In her unique role with VIN, a veterinary resource company, she is responsible for promoting the benefits of using VIN through a monthly email which contains educational materials presented in a fun way.
Lily Stenning, Class of 2028, represents the ARAV (Reptile and Amphibian) for the Zoo, Exotics, and Wildlife Club as well as the American Association of Bovine Practitioners for the Food Animal Practitioners Club.
These professional organizations support students interested in their specialties and encourage others to become interested.
Through these organizations, she is responsible for organizing speakers and wet labs which will promote the importance of these organizations and help to build on students’ learning.
Cortni Richard, Class of 2028, represents Indevets, a veterinary staffing relief company.
She promotes their services through lunch and learns which allow students to have free food and an informational session on the company.
“The ability to meet new people and form relationships is invaluable," Richard said. “These are relationships that I will carry with me after my time as a student ambassador. The mentors are amazing and want to be of any help that they can be.”
Jessica Vester, Class of 2027, represents Sueveto/Harbor Vet, another corporate veterinary company.
In this role, Vester helps to organize Harbor Business Experiences — events in which veterinary students can learn essential business principles through a veterinary lens. These include “lunch-and-learn" events as well as fun, interactive activities like brunches, pottery sessions, or even laser tag.
These activities are common for corporations to hold as they work to give students a break from the classroom.
“Being a student rep has given me invaluable networking opportunities, early access to learning experiences and externships, and a stronger understanding of the business side of veterinary medicine,” Vester said.
Merkle has hosted interactive events, such as Vet Med Bingo, in her role with UVC which allow students to take a break from the traditional classroom learning environment and allow them to apply their knowledge in a fun, low stress setting with their peers.
Reed has coordinated lunch-and-learn sessions, brought in guest speakers, and promoted the SVPGo externship program throughout her time with SVP.
To help recruit student representatives, companies and organizations offer various incentives to students. Some students receive a semester stipend which helps to offset some of their costs of living, while other students are offered free dues to their organizations, conferences and travel paid for, or various swag items.
Some students chose to build off previous experiences as their reason for becoming a student representative.
Merkle joined UVC because “my mentor first year worked for their hospitals, so I had to chance to talk about why she chose to have her hospital under the UVC umbrella and what it meant for her. Through my mentor, Melissa Rich, I met so many other UVC doctors that inspired me to prioritize work-life balance and unique opportunities in the general practice field. I wanted to be able to share this knowledge and these opportunities with other students.”
Others joined because they wanted to share their passions. “I only promote things I genuinely believe in,” Reed said. “I used Skeledog religiously to survive Normal Animal and Moving [courses] —VIN has been such a valuable resource for me. They’re truly student-focused and are constantly building new tools to support the next generation of veterinarians.”
Vester joined to help herself down the road, so that she can help others. “Being a student rep has given me invaluable networking opportunities, early access to learning experiences and externships, and a stronger understanding of the business side of veterinary medicine,” Vester said.
The students encouraged their classmates to strongly consider becoming representatives.
“Don’t be afraid to go outside of the box and pursue things that no one else has before," Richard said. “I am the first ambassador for IndeVets at VMCVM and sought out this opportunity independently, because relief medicine is awesome. I feel that connecting the VMCVM community with IndeVets has and will continue to open even more opportunities for our students post-graduation.”
“There seems to be a great support system to help you with the role whether it’s for a club or for another organization," Stenning said. “I think that having the satisfaction of knowing that the organization is being represented by someone who is truly devoted to doing the best job possible is worth the extra few minutes a day that are necessary to do so.”
All of the student representatives help support the veterinary community in some way, whether that’s through brain breaks, education, food, or eventually job placement. They are an invaluable part of the veterinary student community and a great integration into the world of veterinary medicine after graduation.
