Giving Back Through Mentoring

One of the joys in this profession is the opportunity I have to mentor students—whether they’re in veterinary school or are in their pre-vet studies. Given Perry Veterinary Clinic’s proximity to Houghton, we have the privilege to host quite a few pre-vet students, including Zachary Wolfer ’24, who is now a D.V.M. candidate at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and current pre-veterinary student Greg Loper ’28. This is a great opportunity for me to be able to give back to a community that gave me so much. Recently, I’ve had some students join me who went to Houghton for their undergraduate and are now in veterinary school.

During these externships, we always have ample time to chat in the truck in between calls. The conversation inevitably goes back to our fairly universal Houghton experiences—”Organic chemistry was so challenging, wasn’t it?” or “Did you love microbiology?” Maybe “Did you take a Mayterm off-campus?” or “Were you purple or gold?” (Team Purple!)

And often, most commonly— “Wasn’t Houghton the best? I loved it there.”

Jenna (Hill ‘15) Smith, D.M.V. is a large and small animal veterinary and partner with Perry Veterinary Clinic in Perry, New York. She holds a bachelor of science in biology from Houghton University and a doctorate of veterinary medicine from Cornell University