Hello! My name is Elena McGoey, and I am a fourth-year Eminence Fellow pursuing a major in Animal Sciences with a Biosciences specialization and minoring in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife. My hometown is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I graduated from North Hills High School. During high school, I was involved in extensive volunteering, horseback riding, and the instrumental program.
I have explored animal-related careers outside of veterinary medicine through many avenues: medical internships in wildlife rehabilitation, husbandry- or training-focused internships through zoological facilities, research in disease ecology and exposure to lab-based careers under the Parasite and Pathogen Ecology (PPE) Lab in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and animal-assisted therapy through continued volunteering at Glade Run Adventures, a program that specializes in therapeutic horseback riding for disabled individuals. Throughout all my experiences, my desire to pursue a career in veterinary medicine has only been strengthened, and I currently shadow food/farm animal veterinarians in OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine Farm Animal Hospital. I plan to apply to veterinary school post-graduation, working as a veterinary assistant during my gap year. I have a soft spot for wildlife and exotic species and plan to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to ‘do my part’ in sustaining my ecosystem through environmental stewardship.
My current extracurricular campus involvement includes:
- Ohio State Irish Dance Team member
- Founding member of Cultivate Columbus, one of the service projects developed by the Eminence Fellows Class of 2023
- Mentor for College and High School Aspiring Mothers Partnership for Success (CHAMPS) Program under the ACCESS Collaborative
- Teaching Assistant for Department of Animal Sciences honors course (ANIMSCI 2300H)
- Towers Agricultural Honorary member
- Eminence Faculty Network Lead for the environmental and agricultural cohort
- Research Assistant under Dr. Risa Pesapane’s Parasite and Pathogen Ecology Lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
My extracurricular non-OSU-affiliated involvement includes:
- Continued animal care and foster care volunteering for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
- Continued animal care and therapeutic lesson volunteering for Glade Run Adventures of Zelienople, PA
Please feel free to contact me at mcgoey.1@osu.edu.