This summer, I had the privilege of teaching high school students, ages 15-18, in Loop Abroad’s Exotic and Wildlife Medicine program in Texas. They had partnered with another abroad group called WorldStrides and each week brought a new group of 20-30 students from around the country (and occasionally abroad) to small town Victoria, Texas. I had no idea what to expect. I had never done this before and honestly, my desire to teach was abroad, but this year that wasn’t in the cards, so I decided to get my feet wet with one of their domestic programs.
I was one of 3 veterinarians to teach during my two weeks in Texas, and it turned out I was the senior vet of the group, as my colleagues had just had the distinct pleasure of graduating from vet school. Our lectures were divided up amongst us and the labs were taught by us and the zoo staff. For a week students learned about reptiles, mammals and birds, how to suture, give injections (into an orange), and how to do physical exams. They also participated in enrichment projects for the zoo housed animals. It gave them an inside look at a variety of career paths and I was blown away by the creativity and intelligence of the students in the program.
Getting to work with the group leaders, the lead staff from both Loop Abroad and WorldStrides, my fellow vets, and zoo staff, while opening students’ eyes to what is possible made it well worth the time and effort. Were there hard days? Yes. Did I get frustrated at times? Yes. But all of these things are to be expected. What I didn’t expect was how quickly friends were made, how everyone was seen as an equal and how interested and ready to learn these kids were. I have been looking for an opportunity to teach wildlife conservation and medicine for a while and have always wanted to be a part of an abroad program. I will definitely be continuing to work with Loop Abroad in the future, though likely in a truly abroad setting.
If you want to learn more about Loop Abroad and WorldStrides, check out the links.