Meet the Executive Board: Ricci Karkula

This post is part of series made to highlight the members of your SAVMA Executive Board. They were originally members of the House of Delegates, and were then elected by their fellow delegates to serve you on the board.

Name, Position on EB: Ricci Karkula, President-elect

School and Year: Texas A&M University, c/o 2015

Hometown: Sanger, California

Your area of interest within veterinary medicine: Equine Sports Medicine

Description of what your office entails: Hanging out with Elise, the SAVMA President, to learn the ropes of the presidential position and representing the members of SAVMA.

Your favorite thing about holding that office: Having the opportunity to represent the thoughts and opinions of the veterinary student body.

Your favorite SAVMA related experience thus far (EB or not): Meeting new people from other veterinary schools.

Something fun about yourself: I competed in rodeo events growing up and all through high school and college. I still ride horses and run barrels whenever I am home in California.

Entry, Creative Corner
Caitlin Corbet, Texas A&M

"Forgotton"

"A Flipping Good Time"

"Dusk in Paris"

Pay it Forward

Entry, Experiences
Charlet Hubertus, Texas A&M

Have you ever sat down and thought about all of the people that have influenced your life, and helped you get to where you are today?  Did you ever think that you could be that difference in someone else’s life?  I would like to think that I could, and that is why I always smile when I see people giving back to their community.  It is amazing to me, how willing the veterinary profession is to give back.  I witnessed this first hand in August when I attended the AVMA convention in San Diego as veterinarians, students and family members of attendees alike gave their time on a Saturday morning to clean up and improve 2 animal shelters in the area. Of all of the activities that I enjoyed at the convention, this one gave me the most pause to think, this one reminded me why I fought for this dream in the first place.  It was inspiring to see so many who felt that helping a community was worth just as much as the seminars or convention activities, especially when you realize that these volunteers were from all over the country, not just from San Diego.  That morning I felt proud to be a vet student, proud that I am joining the ranks of such prestigious people in a profession that understands the importance of paying it forward.  As we all worked together, sweeping and disinfecting runs, stacking and sorting food, painting fences and generally helping with whatever the shelters needed done, I knew that we were making a difference for that community.  We impacted the lives of those people and those animals, and it made me feel like a hero.  That is what this profession is all about: giving back.  That doesn’t mean that we are going to change the world, but we will change lives.  Every client that walks in our door in the future will be impacted, how they are impacted is up to you.  So, remember as we continue the journey to our DVM, to pay it forward.  Every life you encounter should be better because you were there.

Mentors

Chase Crawford
Texas A&M University
Life As A Vet Student – Mentors

To me, a mentor is someone in your life who freely shares their experiences with you for no other reason than to help you realize your full potential. When we begin veterinary school (or life even), many of us are assigned arbitrary mentors who may or may not fit the above description. I have had several people in my life who would call themselves my mentors and then several people who deserve such a designation. I do not believe it is an effective use of time or words to describe what makes a mentor insufficient. Instead, one could measure themselves against the standard of a worthwhile mentor and make their own assessment.

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Cake Decorating

Creative Corner

Chloe Matelski

Texas A&M

I am a cake designer. This is my art; my way of combining cake decorating and science!

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