Rosemarie STEM Scholarship

When I close my eyes, I can see myself in a white coat and a stethoscope in hand, taking care of my furry patient in front of me: your dog! I can see this dream in my head, and I can open my eyes and see the jumps I’ve made to get where I am today, and how much closer it's gotten me to becoming a veterinarian. As a freshman in college, everything I’ve ever wanted now feels like it's within my grasp. That’s both terrifying and thrilling at the same time. To me, a degree in biological science, with a minor in animal science, represents a chance for me to make a difference in animal health and in queer representation by becoming an inclusive veterinarian. As a queer woman in STEM, my degree holds a double meaning; it gives me a chance to overcome barriers like the glass ceiling, as well as achieve my goal of practicing veterinary medicine. Biological science is in my school’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), meaning there is emphasis on courses encompassing animal sciences and animal health. Though I love the opportunity to take classes like Avian Surgical Techniques, where I learn basic surgery on chickens, there is no denying that the makeup of CAES is predominantly males, who are cis-gendered and heterosexual. Though they all live and breathe agricultural sciences like I do, I have always felt a disconnect with my fellow students. This feeling will unfortunately continue into veterinary school as well, where LGBTQIA+ students are extremely underrepresented, and feel safer hiding their identity rather than being out in veterinary school. To combat these feelings and trends, I’ve become the Secretary of oSTEM, a club dedicated to LGBTQIA+ representation in STEM. I am proud that I’ve gotten over five pre-vet students and numerous plant science students to join the club. With many of these majors overlapping into CAES, I’ve successfully started to give these queer students a platform and safe space to be who they are. While earning my degree, I’ve been able to make a change for LGBTQIA+ in STEM on my campus and I hope to be able to continue this mission throughout my academic and veterinary career. From all the experience I will gain from my degree, I know I will be prepared to enter veterinary school. So far, it’s allowed me to have a solid background in undergraduate research, which I now know is something I want to pursue as a veterinarian. By working in a meat sciences lab this semester, I’ve grown my knowledge on lab procedures and molecular processes of different meats like beef and pork. I’ve loved it so much that I know I want to include research in my future profession. I love animals and have a passion for science. I’m so thankful that my degree has allowed me to explore these passions through my animal based classes like Poultry Science, and my classes in broader fields like lab research. Taking my new interests in research and non-companion animals like chickens, I want to become a small animal veterinarian for companion animals and exotics, before one day returning back to academia to conduct research. By working in a clinic and in research, I will be able to spread my advocacy for queer youth in STEM. oSTEM has shown me how crucial representation, especially in agricultural degrees, is. As a veterinarian in a small animal practice, I plan to start an initiative for underrepresented youth to shadow me in my everyday routine. Gaining veterinary hours is crucial for a strong veterinary school application and those with less support and resources might find this even harder to do than their peers. By using my experiences as a queer STEM student and as a future veterinarian, I hope to show underrepresented students that STEM and veterinary medicine are fields that are accessible and ready for them. As a researcher, I can show other queer scientists that there is a place for them in what was once considered a “man’s field”. It’s time for research to welcome diverse groups of people and as a queer woman with a future background in veterinary medicine, I hope I can make my stance clear. In the future, I don’t want to make tiny ripples; I want to make a wave so big that it booms as it crashes into the shore. I know my dreams are methodical and specific, but that doesn’t deter me; it just makes me more excited and determined to finish earning my degree, so I can make an impact in my community, veterinary medicine, and queer alike.