This fall, Carolyn Oehrig ’15 will be pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Though Oehrig will be studying a wide variety of animals in her first year, she eventually hopes to focus on equine medicine.
“There are more careers in equine medicine than one might expect,” says Oehrig. “I have the most experience so far working with general practitioners, but I can also see myself studying more to become a sports-medicine specialist or surgeon. I also have an interest in doing occasional volunteer veterinary work in developing countries.”
Oehrig majored in astrophysics at Haverford, but began pursuing a track in veterinary medicine after her sophomore year. Although there are no professors who work in veterinary medicine at the College, Oehrig was able to complete all her pre-vet requirements with the encouragement of Associate Professor Beth Willman and Professor Steve Boughn of the astronomy department and Professor Judy Owen from biology.
Oehrig also joined the Punt Pre-Vet Society at Haverford through which she connected with alumna Sophie Eiger ’14, who advised her about graduate school veterinary programs.
“I am grateful that Haverford challenged me so much,” says Oehrig. “It has given me resilience and strength.”
–By Hina Fathima ’15
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series reporting on the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.