Louisiana Tech senior Christan Robicheaux, currently pursuing a double major in animal science and finance, recently graduated from Purdue’s VetUp! program, a federally funded initiative to expand access to the veterinary profession for talented individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and to address the need for more veterinarians serving rural areas.
“Every day was like the day of a veterinary student,” said Robicheaux, who shares a home in Cecilia with her parents and both Grace, a 3-year-old pit-lab mix, and 9-year-old Toon, a miniature pinscher.
“We had lectures and exams as well as presentations and activities that would prepare us for vet school interviews, financial matters, mental health, and just about anything else,” she said. “I even had the opportunity to receive mental health first-aid training and become certified, and I earned certificates in diversity and inclusion.”