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Youth Veterinarian Initiative Sessions
Launched on June 5, 2021, the Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI) has proven to be effective in encouraging minority youth (ages 9-17) to pursue their passion for animals and explore career possibilities in the field of veterinary medicine.
Through funding from the Troan Foundation, the Wells International Foundation is hosting free, online (Zoom) sessions for aspiring young veterinarians on Saturdays at 11 AM Eastern Time / 10 AM Central Time.
To request notifications for our biweekly online sessions, click HERE.
If you’d like to be a speaker for one of our sessions, click HERE.
Click on the images below to view the previously recorded YVI sessions of your choice!
YVI Sessions
2022-2023 ACADEMIC YEAR
May 27, 2023
Episode 36:
Off to Veterinary School!
Jeremiah Pouncy
Cornell University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Class of 2027
(Ithaca, NY)
January 14, 2023
Episode 32:
One Health – People, Animals, and Environment
Dr. Heather Fowler
Director of Producer and Public Health at the National Pork Board
(Trenton, NJ)
September 24, 2022
Episode 28:
How I Got to Vet School
Antonia Nickleberry
St. George’s University
School of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Student
(Grenada, West Indies)
April 22, 2023
Episode 35:
What It Means to Be a Veterinary Technician
Shawntaye Thomas-Dalton
Licensed Veterinary Technician
(Washington, DC)
December 3, 2022
Episode 31:
The Gateway Keeper of Animals
Calvin Tucker – aka “Black Noah”
Founder – SOCAT Animal Rescue & Foundation
(Bessemer, AL)
September 10, 2022
Episode 27:
When Animals Dance
Julia Brochey
Musician and STEAM Educator
(Colorado Springs, CO)
March 11, 2023
Episode 34:
Girls Mean Business: Ava’s Pet Palace
Ava Dorsey
Founder of Ava’s Pet Palace
(Chicago, IL)
November 9, 2022
Episode 30:
Dare to Dream
Jeremiah Pouncy
4th-year pre-veterinary student
(Greensboro, NC)
February 11, 2023
Episode 33:
One Health in Practice: Veterinary Medicine in Our Community
Dr. Souci Louis
Small Animal General Practitioner
(Atlanta, GA)
October 8, 2022
Episode 29:
Born to Be a Veterinarian
Dr. Courtney Campbell
VetSurg
Veterinary surgeon, media personality, and DEI advocate
(Ventura, CA)
2021-2022 ACADEMIC YEAR
June 10, 2022
Episode 26:
South Bronx Early College Academy Interviews Dr. Tania Otero
Dr. Tania Otero
Veterinary Consultant – Nutrition
(Zephyrhills, FL)
April 30, 2022
Episode 22:
Emergency Medicine
Dr. Cindy Cesar
Emergency Medicine Vet
(Westford, MA)
February 5, 2022
Episode 18:
Emergency Medicine and Critical Care
Dr. Mariana Pardo
Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Specialist
(White Plains, NY)
December 18, 2021
Episode 14:
Veterinary Radiology – Part 1
Dr. Nancy E. Love,
Veterinary Radiologist
(Cary, NC)
October 9, 2021
Episode 10:
Veterinary Medicine: The Laboratory Animal Medicine Version
Alexis Roach
3rd-year veterinary student
(North Carolina State University)
May 28, 2022
Episode 25:
Road to Becoming a Veterinarian
Part 2
Maya Sullivan
Future Zoo Veterinarian
(Washington, D.C. – DMV area)
April 2, 2022
Episode 21:
Camelid Medicine; Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Allen Cannedy
Director for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and owner of Small Ruminant and Camelid Mobile Veterinary Services
(Hillsborough, NC)
January 22, 2022
Episode 17:
Pawsibilities, Veterinary Medicine, and Mentorship
Dr. Valerie Marcano
Poultry Veterinarian and Co-founder of Pawsibilities
(Cary, NC)
December 4, 2021
Episode 13:
Questions from 6th Graders – Part 2
Dr. Athema Etzioni,
Veterinary Clinical Pathologist
(Tuskegee, AL)
September 25, 2021
Episode 9:
Food Safety from Farm to Table: A Poultry Vet’s Perspective
Ashley Hallowell
Veterinary Student
(Philadelphia, PA)
May 28, 2022
Episode 24:
Road to Becoming a Veterinarian
Part 1
Maya Sullivan
Future Zoo Veterinarian
(Washington, D.C. – DMV area)
March 19, 2022
Episode 20:
Career Path for a Veterinary Technician (Interview by South Bronx Early College Academy)
Alexandre Contreras
Veterinary Technician / Inventor / Entrepreneur
(Miami, FL)
January 8, 2022
Episode 16:
From Beverly Hills to Barnyard
Sherita Herring-Oglesby
Nonprofit Professional and Barnyard Fowl Farmer
(Hattieville, AK)
November 20, 2021
Episode 12:
Questions from 6th Graders – Part 1
Dr. Athema Etzioni,
Veterinary Clinical Pathologist
(Tuskegee, AL)
September 11, 2021
Episode 8:
Horses during Medieval Times
Lilly Ice
Farrier and Horse Trainer
(Dardanville, AR)
May 14, 2022
Episode 23:
Vet Clinic Walkthrough
Dr. Stephanie Jones
Reproductive Medicine, Small Animal Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Human-Animal Bond Specialist
(Fort Lauderdale, FL)
February 19, 2022
Episode 19:
Veterinary Dermatology
Dr. Patricia White
Veterinary Dermatologist
(Atlanta, GA)
December 18, 2021
Episode 15:
Veterinary Radiology – Part 2
Dr. Nancy E. Love,
Veterinary Radiologist
(Cary, NC)
October 23, 2021
Episode 11:
Vet School Dreams and Beyond
Jeremiah Pouncy
3rd-year pre-veterinary student
(North Carolina A&T State University)
SUMMER 2021
August 28, 2021
Episode 7:
The History of Horses and Humans
Lilly Ice
Farrier and Horse Trainer
(Dardanville, AR)
July 3, 2021
Episode 3:
Veterinarians in Research
Dr. Felix Vega
Veterinarian & Inventor
(San Francisco, CA)
August 14, 2021
Episode 6:
From the Land to the Sea – Amazing Creatures from the Caribbean
Dr. María José Navarrete Talloni
Veterinary Pathologist and Professor at Ross University
School of Veterinary Medicine
(St. Kitts, West Indies)
June 19, 2021
Episode 2:
Veterinary Medicine and STEAM – Part 2
Dr. Monique Y. Wells
Veterinary Pathologist
(Paris, France)
July 31, 2021
Episode 5:
Introduction to Horses and “Horse People”
Lilly Ice
Farrier and Horse Trainer
(Dardanelle, AR)
June 5, 2021
Episode 1:
Veterinary Medicine and STEAM – Part 1
Dr. Monique Y. Wells
Veterinary Pathologist
(Paris, France)
July 17, 2021
Episode 4:
Veronica Stork and
Her Goat Friends
Veronica Stork
Goat Farmer
(Paicines, CA)