Author: coimbatore.1

End of Year 2 Review and Vision Statement

In no time at all, my second year of college came to a close. The first semester of this school year did not go as well as I’d hoped, and there are some reasons for that. I started a new job at Perimeter Veterinary Hospital that took at least 20 minutes to drive to and the workday could get pretty long. The stresses of working while also managing 17 credit hours was tough and left me with minimal time to also take care of myself mentally. After Christmas Break, I changed how I scheduled my days and how I managed my time, and did much better academically during the second semester.

Regarding my career goals, I think I took the right steps this year to further my progress in reaching them. While my job as a Veterinary Assistant took some getting used to, I definitely learned so much about small animal medicine that I would be able to apply in veterinary school and when I have my own practice. In addition to working, I started volunteering at the Ohio Wildlife Center a few weeks ago as an Animal Care intern in order to learn more about wildlife medicine and rehabilitation.

For my junior year, I’m going to focus heavily on my grades and bring up my GPA. While I have many hours of animal and veterinary experience, I want to be competitive academically as well. I may also try getting a volunteer position at Waterman Dairy Farm on campus to get more large animal experience, or volunteer at the Ohio Rabbit Rescue to socialize and care for neglected rabbits. Any volunteer positions and experiences such as these will come second to my academics. Next summer, I may have to take classes to make sure I have the prerequisites completed for my vet school application. I will also take the GRE at this time. I plan on applying to a few schools at the start of my senior year.

My Career Goals

I have loved animals all my life. Growing up, I was always intrigued by the way people lived their lives, intertwined with those of animals, and I loved being able to witness the love and compassion people and animals showed toward each other. To see people treating animals not just as pets, but as members of the family really struck a chord in my heart. This absolutely beautiful relationship between man and animal really sparked my curiosity at a young age, and since then, it has always been my dream to become a veterinarian.

In the tenth grade of high school, I began volunteering in Camp Cheerful’s Therapeutic Horsemanship Program. In this program, children and adults, many with special needs, improve their physical and mental well-being through horseback riding. I groomed and tacked the horses to prepare them for riding sessions and led them with their riders around an arena for classes. It was truly amazing to see such strong bonds form between a rather large animal and a small child. It was also in this program that we watched one of our beloved horses suffer and pass away after a long battle with cancer. I still remember how devastated the riders and even some of the other horses were. This incident fueled my goal of becoming a veterinarian even more, and only made me more determined to save the lives of the animals that have great impacts on us.

After my first year at Ohio State, I started pursuing any opportunities that would allow me to work within the veterinary field that summer. After a month of contacting nearly 30 practices, I was finally hired by Dr. Bloze at St. Francis Animal Hospital. This small animal clinic was my first true glimpse into the veterinary field. Everything I learned, from restraining animals during office visits, to providing emotional support for clients deciding to euthanize their family pet, really opened my eyes to what the veterinary field entails. After that summer, I became a Veterinary Assistant at Perimeter Veterinary Hospital in Dublin, Ohio, to further my experiences in small animal veterinary medicine.

Learning is something that I truly enjoy doing, and I wanted to continue immersing myself in the various fields of veterinary medicine. Since last year, I have also had the opportunities to work with cows, pigs, and goats. However, one field that I had not yet explored is wildlife medicine and rehabilitation. My previous experiences have primarily focused on the domesticated animals that humans have bonded with, but it is also important to remember the animals in our backyard that shape our ecosystem. So, I started interning at the Ohio Wildlife Center this summer, a hospital and rehabilitation center that focuses on the care and release of injured wild animals.

After earning my undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences, I hope to attend Veterinary School and open my own practice one day. The experiences I’ve had with different animals have only fueled my dream of becoming a veterinarian, and I hope to have so many more throughout the next few years. I want to be able to serve the animals that do so much for us human beings, from providing companionship and keeping us well fed to keeping our ecosystem in balanced. I want to continue interacting with the world around me as much as possible and share my passions and appreciation for those animals. I can’t wait to make my dream a wonderful reality.

 

Here is my Resume ( Resume (Coimbatore)-1adzpjr )

Summer Internship 2017- Ohio Wildlife Center

This summer, I am an Animal Care Intern at the Ohio Wildlife Center’s Hospital and Pre-Release Facility. This is an organization that is dedicated to helping injured and orphaned wildlife and educating the general public about wildlife and their importance to our ecosystem. I’ve personally never had an experience in the world of wildlife care and wildlife medicine, so naturally, this organization and their internship opportunities really piqued my interest. I applied in February for this position and started during the second week of May. So far, I have learned how to feed and care for younger animals such as squirrels, possums, rabbits, ducklings, and small bird chicks like robins, sparrows, and starlings. I’ve learned how to prepare diets for adult animals and raptors and how to help with certain medical tasks such as injections and medications. So far, I have learned so much about these wonderful animals and each day is filled with experiencing something new.

Because I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I had to find an apartment here in Columbus so that I can gain this internship experience. In order to life some financial burdens off my shoulders regarding rent payments and gas fills for my car, I applied for STEP (Second Year Transformation Experience) funding and was approved. Thanks to this program, I can focus my time and energy on learning and not have to worry as much about the costs.

 

Job- Perimeter Veterinary Hospital

In July of 2017, I started my new job at Perimeter Veterinary Hospital, a small animal clinic in Dublin, Ohio. Since I want to attend vet school, it was important that I gain experience in the various fields of veterinary medicine. I heard about a job opening at this clinic through Ohio State’s Pre-Vet Club over the summer, and decided to apply to gain interview experience. After interviewing with then practice owner Dr. Sherrie Ridenour, I realized how much I fit in with the staff and the overall atmosphere of the clinic, and was very pleased to hear that I’d been hired.

Working throughout the school year was a bit of a challenge, as it was something I had not done since high school. I had to get used to planning my days thoroughly and making sure that I had enough time to keep up with my classes. It was tough at first, but became much easier. By working at Perimeter Veterinary Hospital, I’ve learned so much about restraining patients for physical exams, monitoring patients in surgery, and how to communicate effectively with our clients. I’m truly glad that I was able learn and grow at this clinic and am grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Scholars Event- Trip to The Wilds

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On September 25th, a group of Bio-Sci and Health and Humanities Scholars and I visited The Wilds, a conservation center and non-profit safari park. We toured the entire park, getting the opportunity to see different species of animals, both native and exotic, and learning about the history and mission of the park. I want to become a veterinarian, and I am also very passionate about conservation. As our world is affected by climate change and the growing human population, many species of animals are being forced out of their natural habitats, and are being killed. Conservation is extremely important as more and more species of animals are being added to the endangered species list, and it is up to us to help it stop. I was able to learn so much and appreciate what The Wilds offers to the animals in terms of food and shelter, and to us in terms of knowledge and awareness. After my undergraduate studies, I would love to intern there and play a more involved role in helping conserve our beautiful planet.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness is the appreciation for diversity and differences within ourselves and the people around us. As a daughter of two Indian American immigrants, I grew up exposed to both American culture, and the culture my parents grew up with. At Ohio State, I would love to study abroad and learn about the other cultures and ways of life that I have not yet been exposed to.

Original Inquiry is the experiencing of the research process. I plan on becoming a part of undergraduate research here on campus in the future, although I’m not quite sure in what topics.

Academic Enrichment is the pursuing of academic excellence through experiences both inside the classroom and outside of it. I plan on also becoming an Honors student here at Ohio State, interning with various companies and working with different people, and getting involved on campus in different clubs and organizations.

Leadership Development is the development of skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in future roles in society. I plan on becoming a part of clubs and organizations on campus that I am passionate about, and perhaps leading them as an upperclassman.

Service Engagement is the commitment to service in the community. I volunteered extensively in high school, and I plan to continue on this path. I have volunteered in the ICU at Ohio State’s Veterinary Hospital. I am currently volunteering at the Ohio Wildlife Center.

Artifacts

My Dream

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All my life, I’ve wanted to become a veterinarian. It seems like it’s every child’s dream to work with animals, but for me, it has become something I want to make a reality. But over the past couple years, I had started to doubt myself. Every time I looked for information about vet school, it always came to the facts there were only 32 vet schools in the nation, and that getting in would be the most difficult thing imaginable. I didn’t think I had what it would take to get in. I didn’t think that I’d be able to succeed academically during my undergraduate years and meet the standards.

Last Christmas, a very close friend of mine gifted me this wonderful keychain. When she gave it to me, she told me that while I didn’t see the potential that I had to succeed and follow my dreams, my friends and family did. She told me that she hoped that I would eventually gain the confidence to see in myself what other could. I carry this keychain on my lanyard every time I leave my dorm. It is a reminder of why I am here at Ohio State, and what I can do if I push through, and just simply, believe in myself. The next four years will be tough, but I have to believe that I can do it. I am grateful to my friend for seeing in me what I initially could not, and I know that I have what it takes to get into vet school.

About Me

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Hello! My name is Sue Coimbatore, and I am a freshman here at the Ohio State University majoring in Animal Sciences/Pre-Vet. In high school, I was a volunteer at at Camp Cheerful’s Therapeutic Horsemanship Center, a center devoted to helping children with both physical and mental disabilities practice important skills such as focus and coordination through therapeutic riding. I groomed and tacked horses, and led them and their riders around an arena for lessons. At school, I was a violinist in the Symphony Orchestra, and a select group called Chamber Strings. After my undergraduate studies, I plan on applying to vet school with the hopes of becoming a veterinarian and opening my own clinic and animal shelter. I chose to become a Biological Sciences Scholar because I am extremely passionate about community service, and I believe that being a part of this community will help me pursue my career.

In this e-portfolio, you will find documentation of career related experiences and my progress towards becoming a student of veterinary medicine in a few years.

Semester in Review

This semester has really challenged me, academically and personally. I had already known that classes here at OSU were going to be challenging, but I didn’t realize how much I would have to work in order to achieve the grades I wanted, and to be truly successful in my classes. I found that I was capable of working harder than I could have possibly imagined, and that I successfully adapted to the new environment. This semester, I also found that the sky is the limit when it comes to various experiences that enhance your learning. Internships and research opportunities are every where, and it’s up to me to take advantage of those opportunities if I am to continue to grow. I also become an active member of Pre-Vet Club and Zoology Club, where I found many students with similar interests, and had the opportunity to meet people in animal related careers. Overall, this semester went well, and I hope the next one turns out to be even better.