Love animals, will travel

Patrice Sorensen (Animal Science) traveled far and wide to gain the experience needed to get into vet school. While this career path was part of her plan since her middle school years, even she might not have imagined how her love of animals moved her from Mankato, MN to Iowa State and beyond.

Iowa State provides a wealth of resume-building opportunities to work with animals. Patrice was perfectly at home wearing a tool belt of medical supplies as she made rounds vaccinating cows at the Iowa State University Dairy Science Farm. But a unique collection of internships and study abroad experiences pulled her far from the Ames city limits.

Patrice had local opportunities working in public outreach at the Iowa State Fair with the Boulevard of Dairy Breeds. She interned in New York at a goat farm with 80 goats and nine Alpacas where she assisted with rotational grazing and the processing fiber. She even crossed the ocean, gaining experience vaccinating snakes and neutering dogs in Ecuador.  Patrice is proof that the pursuit to become a veterinarian can be quite the adventure.

Read more about Patrice at Tailoring the Student Experience for Vet Success from STORIES.