CALS alumna hopes to make big impact through large-animal medicine
A former CALS student in the Food Animal Scholars Program, Lisa Thompson is now excited to be part of N.C. State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Photo by Becky Kirkland
With both parents in science fields, Lisa Thompson figures she was destined to become a veterinarian.
A freshly minted College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate, Thompson is deep into her first semester in the N.C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Despite an accomplished undergraduate record stacked with awards and top-notch grades, she says that she’s only about halfway toward reaching her goals.
“The most challenging leg of the journey is still ahead of me,” Thompson says. “I am very excited to work with a brand new team of students and professors. I love to learn, and there will be plenty of learning in vet school.”
As a student in the Food Animal Scholars Program, Thompson has known since her sophomore year that she would be accepted into the vet school. The program was created in 1992 to encourage students to pursue careers in food animal medicine.
Six slots are available each year to students at N.C. State and N.C. A&T State University majoring in animal or poultry science. Once accepted into the program, students must maintain impeccable academic records to gain admission to the vet school.
“I knew if I kept up my grades and scores, there would be a spot for me in the class of 2012,” Thompson says. “I was thrilled with the news because we have an extremely competitive school, and this is an opportunity that many people don’t get to experience.”
In her senior year, Thompson won the prestigious Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton Undergraduate Leadership Award of Excellence, presented to a handful of students in recognition of civic and scholarly engagement and for leadership in building an engaged university community.
“I received the award because of my leadership involvement with the student group of Habitat for Humanity and the university’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week events,” Thompson says. “Because I’ve worked with a lot of students in a lot of different organizations, I think that the award is really a celebration of what a lot of my peers have collectively accomplished. Being a part of this campus inspires me every day.”
Why vet school?
“I’m interested in veterinary medicine because I find a wealth of opportunities in this field,” she says. “You can heal people’s companions, you can feed people and you can be on the cutting edge of research. I found that veterinary medicine provides many ways to make positive change, and I want to be right in the midst of that change.”
With a background in swine studies, Thompson wants to work with large animals. In her junior year, she won a top student research award for her project on how spatial memory in baby pigs is linked to their ability to adapt to environmental changes.
Her dream job will be in agriculture, Thompson says. She is considering corporate veterinary medicine, as well as working with the state or federal government in regulatory medicine.
Most of all, she says, “I look forward to the ability to heal.
“So much of our lives depends on animals, and if you know how to treat an ailing animal, you can make a big impact.”
— Suzanne Stanard
A freshly minted College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate, Thompson is deep into her first semester in the N.C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Despite an accomplished undergraduate record stacked with awards and top-notch grades, she says that she’s only about halfway toward reaching her goals.
“The most challenging leg of the journey is still ahead of me,” Thompson says. “I am very excited to work with a brand new team of students and professors. I love to learn, and there will be plenty of learning in vet school.”
As a student in the Food Animal Scholars Program, Thompson has known since her sophomore year that she would be accepted into the vet school. The program was created in 1992 to encourage students to pursue careers in food animal medicine.
Six slots are available each year to students at N.C. State and N.C. A&T State University majoring in animal or poultry science. Once accepted into the program, students must maintain impeccable academic records to gain admission to the vet school.
“I knew if I kept up my grades and scores, there would be a spot for me in the class of 2012,” Thompson says. “I was thrilled with the news because we have an extremely competitive school, and this is an opportunity that many people don’t get to experience.”
In her senior year, Thompson won the prestigious Gen. Henry Hugh Shelton Undergraduate Leadership Award of Excellence, presented to a handful of students in recognition of civic and scholarly engagement and for leadership in building an engaged university community.
“I received the award because of my leadership involvement with the student group of Habitat for Humanity and the university’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week events,” Thompson says. “Because I’ve worked with a lot of students in a lot of different organizations, I think that the award is really a celebration of what a lot of my peers have collectively accomplished. Being a part of this campus inspires me every day.”
Why vet school?
“I’m interested in veterinary medicine because I find a wealth of opportunities in this field,” she says. “You can heal people’s companions, you can feed people and you can be on the cutting edge of research. I found that veterinary medicine provides many ways to make positive change, and I want to be right in the midst of that change.”
With a background in swine studies, Thompson wants to work with large animals. In her junior year, she won a top student research award for her project on how spatial memory in baby pigs is linked to their ability to adapt to environmental changes.
Her dream job will be in agriculture, Thompson says. She is considering corporate veterinary medicine, as well as working with the state or federal government in regulatory medicine.
Most of all, she says, “I look forward to the ability to heal.
“So much of our lives depends on animals, and if you know how to treat an ailing animal, you can make a big impact.”
— Suzanne Stanard