Orientation Week Introduces Class of 2030 to MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine DVM Class of 2030 has officially stepped foot in the Wise Center, and the next four years are shaping up to be an exciting time in their lives.

Orientation Week brought opportunities for good food, fellowship and plenty of learning, with students from across the United States packing their bags and moving to their new home in Starkville. 

For some, like Laura Catherine Allen, Mississippi State was already home. She is a two-time MSU alumna, earning her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a minor in microbiology as well as a master’s in agribusiness management. Though she always knew she wanted to be a vet, Allen did not know what specific career path she wanted to follow until she took an opportunity with the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory.

“I worked in the necropsy department at the lab in Pearl through Mississippi State, and that opened me up to One Health and pathology, and now I’m on that route,” Allen said. “I would not have experienced that had I not taken that position.” 

Likewise, classmate Desire’ Lawson knew from an early age that she wanted to be involved with science. After shadowing multiple professionals in the medical field in sixth grade, she realized that veterinary medicine was the perfect fit. Lawson, a native of Central, South Carolina, initially arrived at Orientation without knowing anyone, but she quickly made connections.

“I enjoyed meeting all the different faculty and realizing that there’s so much support here for you,” Lawson said. “They’re not just saying it, that’s actually true. Everyone’s genuinely happy to help you.” 

One common theme among all Orientation students was their excitement for MSU’s curriculum, which follows a unique two-by-two model. This gives students two years of classroom learning and two years of clinical experience. Elizabeth Matthews, who joins the CVM from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, believes this will help her be better prepared for her future career in equine medicine. 

“The curriculum here really stuck out to me,” Matthews said. “Most people only get a year, maybe a little bit extra of clinical rotations, and I want to be ready when I graduate to go practice.” 

Nathan Sions II, who joins the Bulldogs from West Virginia, emphasized that this curriculum helps MSU graduates stand out from the rest. He hopes that the clinical experience will help him as he prepares to venture into large animal medicine and potentially open his own practice down the road. 

“Every vet I talked to, they were very impressed by the preparedness that MSU created in its students and the practical experience,” Sions explained. 

The Class of 2030 starts its journey through vet school on June 30th, making plenty of memories and learning how to be the very best in their field along the way.