FOUNDATIONS by Grace Jones, AU/CVM, Class of 2024


As the fall semester comes to a close, we prepare for Tanksgiv- ing break, a week that will consist of balancing overfilled plates, final


study guides, and quality family time. Students will be reminded of how much we have covered this semester and how much we may or may not remember of it. We will undoubtedly be asked, “How is vet school?” by our family members and we will oversimplify our answers because it is hard to explain that it is the best and the worst, all wrapped up together.


Tis year has come with many new accomplishments as well as chal- lenges and plentiful stress. Second year has consistently reminded me of the importance of a good founda- tion. After all, how could I understand the pathologic process of a disease if I don’t know the normal physi- ology. All the things we were taught last year have come back to us, with the added effects of infections and other disease. Te anatomy we dedicated our time to memorizing our first year is a second hand thought in our development of a treatment process for our theoretical cases.


We are told time and time again that everything builds upon itself, an idea that easily extends to all facets of life. None of us are strangers to the idea, whether we learned the importance of strong foundations from someone else or found its relevance through mistakes and mishaps, we all know there are certain things we need in life to hold us steady. Te foundations we build for ourselves are not only unique and individual- ized, but they change and shift.


One foundation we all share is our veterinary education, and it is still unique to each of us. We all started our journey in a different way; we exposed ourselves to this career, we met mentors, and worked in clinics or did research and undoubtedly walked dogs for endless miles. Ten eventually, we applied to vet school, we were accepted, and here we are, cramming information on top of what little knowledge we were able to obtain beforehand.


But what about the other parts of our foundation? What about the people in our lives and the experiences well beyond the walls of an education center or clinic, in which we have questioned our morals and what type of people we wanted to become? I contend it’s a two stage process. Te values we learned when we were children, taught to us by our parents, our grandparents, our pastors and others are the footers upon which we must continue to build our strong foundation. We need more than our minds. How can we re- inforce these values in school and our careers? Many of my classmates have told me they feel as if their life has been put on pause. Tere are times when we must put the upcoming exam before a phone call home or finish a quiz instead of having a night out. Even I have found myself too exhausted to dedicate much time to something other than studying this past semester. Tese moments are inevitable with the rigor of veter- inary medicine. Te true challenge we all face, isn’t the answer to an exam question; it’s finding a balance. Allowing ourselves to grow not only as students but as people.


So, in these coming holiday weeks, when you are discussing what you are most thankful for, I encourage each of you to think about your values. Know what makes up your foundation. Take time to evaluate what you find most important in your life and be sure to dedicate yourself to it. After all, the purpose of a good foundation is not only the ability to build upon it, but to trust that it has strength. So, when the time comes that you might be asking, “what am I going to do?” you have the means to face challenges and see clearly. It’s a characteristic we can all value as doctors but should strive to uphold in life as well. After all, what good are our years of education if we have lost sight of who we want to become in the process. 


26 KVMA News


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