Meet the Class of 2024 at Oklahoma State’s Veterinary College
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently welcomed the class of 2024. Comprised of 106 students representing the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas, the class has 78 females and 28 males, the highest number of males in 15 years. Two of those young men are August Fitzpatrick of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Rafay Shah of Frisco, Texas.
“My decision to become a veterinarian was majorly influenced by my grandfather, Dr. James Van Beckum, who was a graduate of Oklahoma State,” said Fitzpatrick. “He operated a mixed animal practice off his farm in Wisconsin where I spent summers following him to farm calls and peaking over his shoulder during surgery. He was always proud to be an OSU graduate and I’m pretty excited to follow in his footsteps. I’ve been working as a veterinary technician in different clinics for about 5 years now. I’m a little bit nervous but excited to get started. Oklahoma State has a history of graduating career ready veterinarians and I’m ready to be on that path and learn from the world’s best.”
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian,” said Shah. “I always had a fascination with animals and science. As I grew older, I realized I can make a career out of it. I took an independent study mentorship class in high school where for the first time, I shadowed a veterinarian and was thrown into the field in a clinic setting. That’s when I realized that was really what I wanted to do. I did my undergrad degree accordingly to set myself up for vet school. I chose Oklahoma State for my DVM degree because my main focus now is exotics and wildlife and I know Oklahoma State has a very good exotics program. It’s also closest to my home town back in Texas. I’m nervous but also very excited. I want to meet my classmates and get going.”
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, a remote and in face alternating plan is in place to teach students that takes into consideration OSU and CDC guidelines for students, faculty, and staff safety.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, this will not be a typical semester at our veterinary college,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have spent countless hours planning to make sure the necessary steps are in place to keep our students, faculty and staff safe while providing quality instruction. Our faculty is excited and ready to teach our students and look forward to a successful semester.”
If you would like to support the future of veterinary medicine at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, please contact Ashley Hesser, assistant director of development with the OSU Foundation, at ahesser@osugiving.com or (405) 385-0715.
CONTACT: Taylor Bacon | Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator | 405-744-6728 | taylor.bacon@okstate.edu