OSU CVM sparks passion for veterinary medicine at ExpOSUre workshop

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Media Contact: Sydney Trainor | Communications and Media Relations Specialist | 405-744-9782 | sydney.trainor@okstate.edu

“Step right up and grab an eyeball.”  

That’s how Dr. Jerry Ritchey kicked off his station at the ExpOSUre: Livestock Docs workshop, where students glimpsed into the world of veterinary medicine during the Oklahoma Youth Expo.  

At his station, Ritchey, interim dean of the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, guided students through an eye-opening eyeball dissection.  

Meanwhile, other stations — led by veterinarians and CVM students — offered hands-on lessons in vaccine mixing, administering intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, performing physical exams, wrapping legs, assisting in calf deliveries and more.  

Launched last fall at the Oklahoma and Tulsa state fairs, the workshop aims to spark students’ interest in veterinary medicine, helping them build connections and explore career paths in agriculture and animal care. 

In a world currently needing rural veterinarians, OSU CVM sees outreach opportunities like this one to be vital in filling the gap.   

“I don't want to overstate this, but this is probably one of the most important things that we can do for this age group,” Ritchey said. “Our data shows that most of the students — now, not all of them — decide that they're going to be a veterinarian in their middle school to early high school years. So, these kinds of events where you can really see and hone those interests are critically important.”  

Ritchey’s favorite part of this event — besides getting to wear his white coat — is seeing the smiles as students interact with each other while learning.   

“This is not only a great opportunity for us to showcase veterinarians for the kids, but also a great opportunity for fantastic veterinary students to do some teaching and practice what they've learned and teach that to a different generation,” Ritchey said.  

This event allowed students to be face-to-face with professionals.   

Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, assistant clinical professor, beef cattle extension specialist and CVM director of continuing education, said the most important thing is making sure Oklahoma students, specifically those from rural communities, know this opportunity exists.   

“The biggest thing is there's not a better time to be in veterinary medicine than right now,” Biggs said. “If a young person — doesn’t have to be even a young person — wants to do it, if it's either second career or whatnot, it's a great time to tackle it, and there are resources out there to help them, and people that want them to be successful.”  

Jaycee Padley, a native of Guymon, Oklahoma, brought her two pigs and three lambs to compete at OYE. She participated in this workshop as part of her mission to learn as much about agriculture as possible to prepare for her future career.   

“I really want to be an ag teacher,” Padley said. “I definitely considered Vet Med, but I think either way, it's really going to help me. And I mean, even if you're an ag teacher, you need to know how to do the emergency stuff and this will help me be prepared.”  

Hailing from Goodwell, Oklahoma, Kinley Tolle grew up wanting to follow in her mother’s footsteps and be a veterinarian. The high school student attended ExpOSUre last fall and decided to participate again to build connections with veterinarians and CVM students and continue to grow her skills in caring for animals.   

Hosting an event of this size is no small feat and requires collaboration from key partners like the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry, Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Beef Council, and the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association, who all see the importance of educating especially during the Year of Youth in Agriculture.   

Jessica Baker’s children weren’t competing at OYE, but they came to Oklahoma City from Milfay, Oklahoma, because her freshman and junior are both extremely interested in the career.   

One of her biggest takeaways was the opportunity to speak directly with faculty members like Biggs, who offered valuable advice and resources for parents navigating the path to vet school. From selecting the right concurrent courses to finding scholarship opportunities, these conversations provided guidance for setting students up for success.  

“That was extremely helpful to be able to speak with Dr. Biggs because we homeschool and so, I am the teacher, the guidance counselor, everything,” Baker said. “We are navigating this college road with our oldest, so this is very eye-opening and helpful. You think you're doing the right thing, and then you get the reassurance that you are.”