Oklahoma State Veterinary College welcomes class of 2023

Monday, August 19, 2019

Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences officially welcomed the class of 2023 at an Induction Ceremony held on the OSU Stillwater campus on Aug. 16, 2019.

“We are excited for these students to join our DVM program,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the veterinary center. “Since last year we hired many new faculty members who are eager to work with our students, nine of which are new positions including a full-time counselor and wellness coordinator.”

Among the class are Jack Kraft of Paris, Texas, and Erin Willis of Rolla, Missouri.

“I was lucky enough to have a dad who is a veterinarian so I grew up around the business,” said Kraft. “Towards high school I got involved with the business and worked for like 5,000 hours with my dad. After that, I decided that this was something I would enjoy doing for my life. Oklahoma State is a good fit for me. I’m from a relatively small town almost exactly the size of Stillwater. So I was quick to accept the invitation and join the vet team. I’m excited to start my program here at Oklahoma State. I’m excited to meet all the people and work towards becoming veterinarians.”

“I’m actually a non-traditional student,” said Willis. “This is going to be my second career. As an undergrad I was pre-vet. A professor asked me to work in his research lab and I fell in love with research. I decided to go to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in molecular and integrative physiology. With that degree, I worked with different species such as giant pandas, critically endangered Amur leopards and with some endangered amphibians. I actually did my Ph.D. work with cattle, but I still felt that something was missing. That was the ability to help animals more individually, which is something I can do as a clinician. I have been a research fellow in the Department of Physiological Sciences at the vet school so I am familiar with the program. I’m also currently a resident of Oklahoma so Oklahoma State is the most cost effective vet school for me to attend. It’s going to be quite different for me to get back into the classroom after such a long absence. But I’m excited and I’m really confident in my decision to pursue this path.”

Comprised of 106 students—86 females and 20 males—the class of 2023 represents the states of Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Vermont.

If you would like more information on Oklahoma State University’s DVM program, please visit the DVM Program webpage.

If you missed the class of 2023 Induction Ceremony, you can watch it on our Facebook at Class of 2023 Induction Ceremony.

MEDIA CONTACT: Taylor Bacon | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator | 405-744-6728 | taylor.bacon@okstate.edu