Steps to Success
Summer Program Aims to Diversify the Veterinary Profession While Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams
aimie Brown, Class of 2025, has aspired to be a zoo veterinarian since she was in middle school—beyond her small zoo of pet dogs, cats, birds, turtles, goats, chickens, snakes, rat and iguana she had over the years. But she didn’t have much exposure to the veterinary field or many opportunities in her hometown of Temecula to gain hands-on clinical experience. Participating in the month-long Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) in 2019 during her second year of undergraduate studies as an Animal Science major at UC Davis was crucial in providing Brown those opportunities.
The program was instrumental in giving me exposure to so many options in the veterinary field and helped me gain confidence in my potential career path.
—Jaimie Brown, Class of 2025
For more than 30 years, underrepresented college students like Brown have come to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to experience a rigorous immersion into the field through the SEP. They participate in their chosen veterinary hospital rotations in the mornings; attend afternoon faculty lectures to learn about various career options available with a DVM; practice clinical skills in labs (suturing, bandaging, and blood draws); take field trips to the zoo, primate center and Monterey Bay aquarium; and participate in workshops that help with veterinary school applications and interviews.
“The program was instrumental in giving me exposure to so many options in the veterinary field and helped me gain confidence in my potential career path,” Brown said. “I got to see how the hospital works, build connections with other students in my cohort, and get the additional hands-on experience needed for a strong veterinary school application.”
While SEP has existed for decades in various iterations, generous donor support and funding from the dean’s strategic initiative to expand Diversity, Equity and Inclusion allowed the school to double the number of students admitted to the program this year. That required the program to shift from five to four weeks to accommodate two cohorts with 14 students in each group.
“Typically, we have 65 SEP applications. This year we had 118, thanks to the additional financial support we could offer participants,” said Monae Roberts, chief diversity officer for the school. “Half of the participants were from historically Black colleges and universities. Our next steps are to identify and expand outreach to other communities like Native American and Pacific Islander populations.” One of the strategic initiatives for the school focuses on greater outreach to underrepresented students beginning in middle school through their undergraduate years.
The Summer Enrichment Program is a life-changing experience for undergraduate students.
—Mark Stetter, Dean
“The Summer Enrichment Program is a life-changing experience for undergraduate students to engage in formal and informal interactions with faculty, be immersed in learning at the School of Veterinary Medicine and to ultimately strengthen their veterinary school applications,” said Dean Mark Stetter.
One of the most rewarding aspects of SEP for Roberts is not only seeing the students accepted into veterinary schools across the country but watching them connect with faculty mentors and future colleagues. While Brown was in SEP five years ago, she met Dr. Gina Davis ’97, also an SEP grad, who shared her journey as an African American woman navigating the veterinary profession. In her first clinic rotation as a 4th year student, Brown worked with Davis in the Primary Care service for two weeks.
“The students build a strong community of folks within SEP to connect with and lean on each other—hopefully that will last a lifetime as they move into their careers,” Roberts said.
About a quarter of SEP graduates go on to attend the UC Davis veterinary school, while others pursue their veterinary training at other schools across the nation.
“Our class demographics won’t change until the applicant pool changes. SEP is just one part of our overall DEI initiatives/efforts to have the school’s applicant pool better reflect California’s population,” Roberts said. “It’s a process though; it doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s really exciting to see what’s going to happen for these students and the profession as a whole over time.”
It’s really exciting to see what’s going to happen for these students and the profession as a whole over time.”
—Monae Roberts, chief diversity officer