Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student Sarah Thurman credits a tour of Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine for developing her passion and knowledge of animals.

“Out of all the colleges I visited, this is where I felt most at home,” said Thurman, whose hometown of Greenwood, South Carolina, is about eight hours away from Starkville. “In my opinion, the MSU CVM program is one of the most competitive and produces some of the most competent graduates, which was important to me when choosing a college.”

Thurman graduated from MSU in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in animal and dairy science.

While in high school, she took dual credit courses leading her to earning her bachelor’s degree a year early before entering MSU’s DVM program.

“My bachelor’s degree program offered me a lot of practical, hands-on experience with animals, which has continued to help me in vet school, especially with food animal courses,” she said.

Thurman worked at a small-animal clinic in high school for three years and interned in college at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina. An internship at the Mississippi Aquarium also proved to be “an eye-opening experience,” she said.

“I had never thought of the possibility of working as a veterinarian in an aquarium until then,” Thurman said. “I learned so much about aquatics.”

Her experience at the aquarium opened the door to aquatic medicine and led her to pursue research on stranded sea turtles under the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security's Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Health Program. Collecting data is key to supporting conservation efforts to preserve these creatures, especially the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Tracking the genetic information of the population to spot changes could help determine future conservation efforts, shifting the tide in favor of the turtles’ survival.

“I became involved with Kemp’s ridley research by applying for the Veterinary Medicine Research Scholars Program at MSU CVM,” Thurman said. “I wanted to experience the research side of veterinary medicine as a possible avenue I might consider in my career. I believe anyone pursuing a veterinary degree or interested in animal health should experience research. It's such an important part of the field because we're always making discoveries to advance medicine and animal health.”