The end of an era
Time truly does fly when you are doing the things you love. In the blink of an eye, we, as the third years, are preparing to transition into the next step of our academic career. In this little corner of the South Clinic, memories are made, friendship blossoms, and knowledge is learned and passed down from one to another. As cheesy as it sounds, I will miss this place a lot. Like many of my peers, we have our fair share of learning curves. From the late-night orphan feeding to wrestling a bald eagle at 7 am. The never-ending raccoon wrangling and the splashing sessions with the giant snapping turtle. Looking back, all that was left was the laughter and teasing as we worked as a team and enjoyed the time we shared.
The third-year students serve as a cornerstone in the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Many of them take on the responsibilities as team leaders and have guided countless students through the ups and downs in wildlife medicine. Their dedication to teaching and learning has inspired many more students, just like how we are motivated by the ones before us. The near-peer mentorship highlights the wonderful things that the WMC provides. Thank you for all the hard work, time, and commitment of all third-year students who contributed to the WMC.
Send-offs for our third-years
Below are quotes from current WMC volunteers to showcase these wonderful attributes brought by our third-year students.
“Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for being a great mentor and for always being an incredible team lead. I always appreciated your answers to my questions and your willingness to help and allowing us to learn. Good luck on clinics, you’re going to do great!!” – Christie
“Sof, you have been such an amazing teacher and are always pushing us to step out of our comfort zone while also always being on our side! The clinic was so lucky to have you and we’re going to miss you so much.” – Akasha
“Talia!! You’ve been an incredible role model to me! Your kindness, skill, and ability to teach and help us all learn the ways of wildlife have helped me grow so much! Thank you for always being there for each question that we’ve had and helping us navigate it all! I am going to miss having you as my team lead, but I’m so excited to see all the amazing things you’ll accomplish!” -Becca
“Marg, congratulations on finishing your third year of vet school!! what an amazing accomplishment! Thank you for all that you’ve done for the WMC and for always looking out for me (and of course for all the rides to treatments)! I know you’ll make such a caring, compassionate veterinarian and be successful in whatever path you choose. Best of luck in everything you do!” – Michelle
“Becky, thank you for being the best WMC mentor these last 2 years! It’s so hard to imagine volunteering at the WMC without you there. You put so much dedication and passion into helping wildlife, it was truly inspiring. I hate that you have to leave, but I have no doubt that you are ready for clinics and will be successful in your veterinary career.” – Kayla
This is far from the end of the list of all the kind words volunteers have shared. Let us celebrate with all our third-year volunteers as they now take on the next challenge ahead.
Thank you all, and cheers!
-Written and organized by YiYing Tung, Class of 2026
