JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students from Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology will continue to intern at the Jacksonville Humane Society with the hope of one day becoming veterinarians.
For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Humane Society has been awarded a $10,000 check to pay for a program aimed at bringing more diversity into the world of veterinary medicine.
Veterinary medicine continues to be one of the least diverse professions in the U.S. Dr. Lisa Greenhill, M.P.A., Ed.D., senior director for institutional research and diversity at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, revealed that minorities only make up 8% of the veterinary workforce.
Amya Guest, Savannah Davis and Diamond Canada are all students at Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology who have been interning at the Humane Society since last year.
In the year since we last spoke with Davis and Canada, a lot has happened.
“My confidence has skyrocketed with doing intakes and handling the animals,” Canada said.
“Being a part of this program has been the best experience I’ve been in,” Davis told us.
Guest says she has absorbed a lot of veterinary knowledge and experience since joining the program.
“I’ve learned way more than I thought when I first came in,” Guest said. “I’ve learned all the surgeries. I’ve learned how to handle the animals after the surgeries.”
Thursday afternoon, the Humane Society was awarded a $10,000 check from Corporate Traffic Logistics to provide stipends to students who participate in the program. The marketing director for Corporate Traffic Logistics says the company is a longtime partner with the Humane Society and believes in providing opportunities for young people.
“Jacksonville Humane Society has a first class facility here, and the opportunities are amazing for people to learn about a career in animal care,” said Keith Lechwar, Corporate Traffic Logistics’ marketing director.
The young women putting in the 250 hours interning at the Humane Society are there to master multiple veterinary skills before entering college and someday becoming veterinarians. And they’re fully aware that they are venturing into an area of medicine where the workforce is not as diverse as it could be.