Welcome Class of 2027!
Families, friends, faculty and staff gathered at the UC Davis Mondavi Center to welcome 152 new students into the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2027 on August 18. Others watched a livestream of the event, which can be rewatched here.
Dr. Karl Jandrey, associate dean for Admissions & Student Programs, and his dog Danson, welcomed the new students and guests. Dean Mark Stetter offered brief introductory remarks before handing over the podium to Dr. Lilian Wong ‘14.
Wong started with a quote from one of her favorite authors, Atul Gawande from his book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: “You may not control life’s circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them.”
She then shared her journey from a South Korean immigrant family to her career in veterinary medicine—a journey filled with many circumstances that could have deterred her from fulfilling her dreams of obtaining a DVM. Raised by her grandmother and the Nicaraguan abuela next door in Washington D.C., she spent weekends working in the family’s struggling small businesses, sweeping floors, helping customers and organizing inventory.
Her parents wanted her to pursue a lucrative career as a physician or lawyer. “To their dismay, I was always drawn to animals and education,” Wong said to knowing laughter from the audience.
As a non-native English speaker, she struggled with standardized tests and was often told by school counselors she should pursue a career in math rather than science. Despite the naysayers, she persisted and as a first-generation college student obtained her B.S. in zoology but was still disappointed not to achieve acceptance into a veterinary school straight away. She was told she would never be able to get in.
Wong doubled down on fulfilling her dreams and moved across the country to Davis where she got a job working in the veterinary hospital while pursuing a masters in animal science. She was later accepted to UC Davis’s veterinary school.
The subsequent journey was filled with challenges, including a major health ordeal that necessitated a two-year hiatus from veterinary school. During that break, she pursued her love of education and taught anatomy, physiology and biology at Bay Area community colleges.
“I wondered if the elementary school quiz and the vet school counselor were right,” Wong said. “Despite the intrusive thoughts, I knew I would always wonder what if I did not try.”
So, she redefined her trajectory and embraced nontraditional career paths to excel in research and education. She was ultimately diagnosed with fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Curiosity and tenacity carried Wong through her challenges and she encouraged the incoming class to take control and be the author of their lives.
Isabel Vaishampayan, Class of 2025 and president of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association, shared a few thoughts with the incoming class, followed by the distribution of white coats and remarks by Jandrey.
With each student who crossed the stage, Jandrey gave the audience a snippet of what makes them unique.
The incoming class includes students who have hiked the 1300 miles of the Appalachian trial, fostered 26 dogs to date, and competed in Ironman competitions.
After the students recited the veterinarian’s oath, Dr. Mike Karle ‘99, alum and president of the California Veterinary Medical Association, encouraged the new students to focus not just on the animals, but the people who make the profession—fellow classmates, professors and clients—as those will be friendships to last a lifetime.
He closed with: “I challenge all of you not only to make a difference in animals’ lives, but make a difference in people’s lives too."
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