Penn Foster is incredibly proud to announce that Penn Foster Veterinary Technician graduate Elizabeth Exline has been named the 2016 DEAC Graduate of the Year! Elizabeth's love for animals goes back to her childhood, and we are thrilled to have played a part in helping her achieve her dream of helping animals for a living.
Featured below is Elizabeth's Graduate of the Year essay, which is truly an inspiration - not only to Veterinary Technician students, but to all Penn Foster students working toward achieving their goals! Check it out, let us know what you think, and be sure to give Elizabeth a big congratulations in the comments section!
Graduate of the Year Essay Submission by Elizabeth Exline
As a little girl, when our Retriever would seem sick, my mom would load him into the backseat of our little blue Honda station wagon and off to the veterinarian we would go. Windows rolled down, wind whipping through the car, and the view of a big wet dog nose in the side mirror. I was too young to understand what they did there; I just knew that my dog came home feeling better and all was right with the world again.
Let’s cut to today, thirty years later. Every morning I load my Retriever into the backseat of my little blue Volkswagen Beetle and off to the veterinarian we go. Windows rolled down, wind whipping through the car, and the view of a big wet dog nose in the side mirror. Today, all is right with the world but it’s because I am part of the team that helps these pets go home feeling better. I am part of this magical team that I was too young to understand the inner-workings of when I was young, and yet, still appreciated so much.
Somewhere between being a little girl and today, I decided I was going to be part of this magical team that works with animals. Everything that I knew about this field I had originally learned hands-on. It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I decided to have a go at a degree in this field. Was I too old to learn new tricks? Were there enough hours left in the day after working a ten-hours to study adequately?
My experience of receiving a degree in Veterinary Technology changed my life. Aside from the obvious (being more educated makes me better equipped to do the best I can at work everyday), it also taught me a great deal in self esteem, self trust, self pride, self-patience, self-discipline, and maybe even a lesson or two in self-humbling. I can honestly say this degree is one of the things that I am the most proud of in my life. It wasn’t always easy, but with the support of Dr. Jim and other Penn Foster staff members (not to mention friends I’ve made through the community and Facebook group) I was able to graduate in April 2015, at the age of 32, with a 3.86 GPA while working full time as a practice manager for a small animal practice. Thus proving, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.
This degree is going to further my career in ways I can only begin to dream of. I am so excited for the road ahead, for all the possibilities within the veterinary field, and for endless doors that have opened now that I have this degree. I know I will continue working in small animal practice and would love to get a Bachelor’s degree in veterinary technology. I will continue to stay actively involved with Penn Foster, through being a part of the Veterinary Academy’s Advisory Committee, through meet-ups, and by offering support to fellow students in any way that I can.
Whatever my future holds, it will always include the education I received from Penn Foster… and probably a little blue car with a Retriever in the backseat. Windows rolled down, wind whipping through the car, and the view of a big wet dog nose in the side mirror. Because when you love what you do, and you are educated to do so to the best of your ability, all is right with the world again.