Tips for Writing Programs Applications

 Shelter medicine is essential to both animal and human populations because it addresses overpopulation, disease prevention, and community health. Spay and neuter programs help prevent overpopulation, reducing strain on limited shelter resources while also lowering risk of reproductive cancers, hormone driven aggression, and the spread of infectious diseases due to crowing. These procedures protect animals and public health by limiting zoonotic diseases that could be transmitted to people. 

        While shelter medicine is crucial to maintaining a healthy animal population, I believe the true importance of shelter medicine is the way it unites people around a common goal. This past summer, I started fostering shelter dogs for the day. I would take them to the park, on hikes, and to the pet store to pick out toys. These “doggy day outs” allowed them to relax and showcase their true personalities. After taking a billion pictures and videos, I would upload them online which sparked interest from potential adopters or fosters. One of my posts even led directly to the adoption of a dog I had taken out for the day. This quickly turned into a weekly commitment that even my friends and family started joining in on.

        My time volunteering also allowed me to form new connections with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Walking dogs or joining spa nights (where we gave the dogs baths) allowed me  to meet various church groups, other students, and sports teams that all wanted to help. It was incredible to see just how many people around me were passionate about animal welfare. That’s why I believe shelter medicine creates incredible opportunities for connection all while ensuring healthy animals suitable for adoption. Shelter veterinarians and staff put in amazing work to ensure proper care of the animals. These efforts would be so much harder to achieve without the support of the local community. Fosters create more space, donations mean full bellies, and businesses opening their doors up to host adoption events allows more puppies to go home. To me, shelter medicine not only reduces disease and suffering, but also allows people to unite to make a tangible difference.

—Julia Lisiecki

The small but mighty power of bees shows that even the smallest parts of our environment are extremely important. All animals rely, in some way, on plants and the nutrients they supply, and it is pollinators like bees that help many of these plants to reproduce and provide that nutrients. The important role of bees in their ecosystem and surrounding general animals’ health has always been very interesting to me. When I was younger I used to sit with my mom at our kitchen window and watch as the bees worked to collect nectar and help pollinate her flowers. I remember having conversations with her about how we had to protect their species not only because they were important to the ecosystem but also because they were important to medicine in general. Though I didn’t understand it much at the time she would tell me about how bee venom was used to help cure illnesses in the medical world. Now I know that the venom can be used as an anti-inflammatory (in people, and I’m assuming also vet med) and that it is being tested for other illnesses such as Parkinson's as well. Bees shouldn’t be overlooked, they may be small but they are extremely important not only to the ecosystem around them but for the future and its medical advances we just have to do some more research and I would love to be a part of that.

–Addison Dernulc

I believe UIUC has many wonderful things to offer, especially if you’re a pre-veterinarian student. Through shadowing at LAICU, I’ll be able to diversify my experiences and gain a better understanding of what it truly means to work with large animals as opposed to just small animals. In the last school year, I had the chance to volunteer at Haflinger Haven, where I mucked stalls, refreshed food/water, and groomed horses. Previously, I had never really been interested in larger animals such as horses. Still, this past year showed me that there are interesting and cool experiences all around me, and it’s up to me to take advantage of all the opportunities presented.  Though I have some experience with small animals, I have never interacted with large animals in a clinical setting, and this is something that sounds extremely interesting and valuable to me. I know if I am extended the opportunity to shadow at the LAICU, I will gain valuable experience and knowledge on not only large animals but also what it truly means to work with them and interact with them on a day-to-day basis. Being able to witness aspects of large animal veterinary medicine, such as lameness exams and surgeries, would be incredible exposure into a more diverse field of vet med that I have yet to explore. Not only would this serve as a facet for me to familiarize myself with the practical skills and demonstrations that can be seen with large animals, but shadowing at LAICU could also provide me clarity for my future in veterinary medicine that might be harder to gain anywhere else. Overall, I want to shadow at the LAICU because I am aware that it is an amazing chance to gain real-world experience in a setting surrounded by leading specialists as well as veterinary students who worked tremendously hard to get where they are today!

–Rhea Narasimhan

I have spent all my life surrounded by animals, as both my parents work with them. Their dedication to protecting and caring for wildlife, among other animals, has both inspired me and taught me to respect wildlife health and conservation efforts. When I visited the Necropsy Lab last semester, the experience captivated me. Pathology was not initially on my radar as a career option in veterinary medicine; however, after the initial exposure, I began to better appreciate its importance. While talking with a few doctors during the lab, I found myself more interested in the work they do. 

In and of itself, pathology is incredibly important for the future of veterinary and human medicine. Not only is it a vital role a veterinarian can play, but pathology can also inform possible health risks and future medicine making it a cornerstone for conservation efforts.  Learning about this kind of work– what veterinarians look for during necropsy– would be an amazing way to increase my own knowledge in those areas. Additionally, since I understand some of the basic principles in the necropsy lab, I aim to ask more questions and gain a deeper understanding of pathology techniques. With this experience as a point of reference, I also hope to further apply what I learn here to make a meaningful impact on the future lives of, not just wildlife, but all animals. 

–Sophie Gies