Alumni News

When Naomi Esquivel was 12, she started an animal rescue group in her Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. She and others rescued strays in their neighborhood, rehabilitated the animals, and found them homes. The children…
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As a child, Hassan Hanna frequently visited Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo. When his mom witnessed the excitement that beamed through him as he raced from exhibit to exhibit, she knew then, according to…
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“As a young child, I followed heavily in the footsteps of my older sister,” recalled OC Kirkland. “When she said she wanted to be a dolphin trainer, I, of course, also said I wanted to…
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After completing his undergraduate degree as a pre-med student, Varun Seth put his studies on pause. He was passionate about environmental sustainability, conservation, and biodiversity. His family hoped he would enter medical school. To evaluate…
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A Passion Born in a Saddle When she was 6 years old, Gina Kowalewicz rode a horse for the first time. Her family owned horses, and as Kowalewicz grew up, the horses grew alongside her….
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Theodore Berlanga worked at an emergency clinic for four years before entering veterinary school. They had been interested in veterinary medicine since middle school and felt drawn to emergency medicine with its environment ripe for…
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Many future veterinarians embrace their calling at a young age, and Melanie Narvaez was definitely one of them. However, it wasn’t until she worked at a veterinary clinic as an undergraduate that she knew she…
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After high school, Kristine Witte wanted to continue her education but wasn’t sure what field was right for her. So, she decided to attend cosmetology school. While working as a professional hairstylist, she began volunteering…
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It Runs in the Family Hannah Streams grew up on a small hobby farm in New Mexico surrounded by animals. Propped on a hill, Streams would watch as her dad pulled up the driveway. She…
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