PHCOC 2025-2026 Underserved Areas Award Winner

Alexa Marie Torres Oliveras

As a veterinary student, it is incredibly meaningful to step outside of my studies and volunteer at

community outreach events. My participation in outreach events with Pima Animal Care Center

(PACC) has allowed me to grow not only as a future veterinarian, but also as a person. Although I

am not originally from Arizona, I have come to feel connected to the community I serve. Every

time I volunteer, I feel that I am also serving my community back home in Puerto Rico by

representing my roots and bringing pride to where I come from.

Working alongside dedicated veterinarians, veterinary staff, technicians, volunteers, and my

classmates has been a beautiful experience. These events have allowed me to assist with patient

care, gain hands-on experience, and learn from veterinarians who are committed to making

veterinary care more accessible to families who may otherwise face barriers to receiving it.

One experience that particularly stood out to me involved a Rottweiler that was presented for

evaluation. The veterinarian working that day asked for my professional opinion on what we

should do first. In that moment, I felt that I was beginning to be seen not only as a student, but as a

future colleague. It made me realize how far I had come in my veterinary education. I

recommended performing a 4DX test, considering the prevalence of vector-borne diseases in the

area. The test ultimately came back positive for Ehrlichia, and the patient was started on

appropriate treatment. I was later updated that the dog was responding well to doxycycline. Being

included in the patient's care and receiving that follow-up meant a great deal to me and reinforced

the importance of speaking up and trusting my developing clinical knowledge.

Beyond the medical experience, these outreach events have taught me the importance of

accessible veterinary care and the deep bond between people and their animals. I have met

individuals experiencing housing insecurity who continue to do everything they can to care for

their pets. Seeing the love and effort they put into their animals has reminded me that access to

veterinary care can be a critical part of supporting both pets and the people who depend on them.

These experiences have also taught me the importance of cultural humility. Many of the

community members we serve come from tribal lands or nearby Indigenous communities. I have

been fortunate enough to learn from them and appreciate traditions that are different from my

own. During one event, I asked a community member about a necklace she was wearing, and she

explained that it was made from moth cocoons and held cultural and traditional significance.

Small interactions like this have encouraged me to remain curious, respectful, and willing to learn

from every community I serve.

These experiences have reinforced my desire to incorporate community service and accessible

veterinary care into my future career. I am grateful to the veterinarians, technicians, veterinary

staff, volunteers, classmates, and community members who make these events possible. Most

importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn not only about veterinary medicine, but also

from the people and communities I hope to serve.

Photography

The Beauty of Thailand

Submitted by Jenna Strong Texas A&M University 

TVG Kitchen

Submitted by Rhea Amatya Colorado State University

Creative Corner

Submitted by Angelina Sapienza University of Florida

PHCOC 2025-2026 Underserved Areas Award Winner

Melissa Waltiere

People parked their cars in an endless snaking row in the dim dark of morning—the people of the 

reservation with their mixed-breed dogs and cats, waiting for the care their animals desperately needed. We hurriedly checked in each animal, preparing for the long day ahead. Though the work was exhausting, nothing has ever made me feel happier than working with underserved communities. Striving to serve the underserved is the lifeblood of my veterinary journey. Before matriculation, I volunteered hundreds of hours to organizations that bring high quality, high volume spay and neuter, (HQHVSN) and wellness services to Native American and unhoused communities – and  nothing has ever made me feel happier. 

The first time I visited a Native American reservation, I delivered pet food door to door in the Navajo Nation 

of Northern Arizona. The poverty I encountered struck me to the core – widespread lack of electricity and running water; one vehicle shared by large, close-knit families; holes in roofs; cars balanced on rocks; packs of dogs trotting through gas station parking lots, covered in hundreds of ticks; a little girl standing barefoot at the door of a dilapidated building she called home. I felt like I had been transported into a photograph from the cover of National Geographic magazine. 

Despite all these things, the beauty and power of the Navajo people’s culture towered proudly against this 

desolate backdrop. The resiliency I sensed in their community evoked the very definition of the word sacred. The joy, dignity and pride that the people carried along with the heavy burden of a history of unspeakable brutality and generational trauma - contradicted yet complemented one another like the red Navajo rock beneath a brilliant blue, cloudless desert sky. 

The first Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) clinic trip I attended two years later catalyzed the latent desire that lay in my heart to serve  underserved communities. I arrived at Standing Rock, North Dakota with an open heart and open mind, devoid of expectation. As I learned how to  transform a gymnasium into a highly efficient and organized spay and neuter clinic, my heart began to find its home. The certainty and rightness I  found within myself grew stronger throughout the week as I reveled in the privilege of working with shelter veterinarians from around the United States;  they all possessed such talent, good humor, humility and compassion that it was contagious. The happiness and appreciation that the families experienced as they received vital services for their pets was worth far more than any monetary payment I could have received from my time spent there.  On the plane ride home I knew - without a single doubt - from the core of my being, that I wanted to become a veterinarian who served these forgotten communities. I started volunteering with a local organization, The Parker Project, who brings HQHVSN and  wellness services to Navajo nation and Hopi tribes. I immersed myself in service of reservation cats and dogs and the people who love them. 

I attended my second RAVS clinic in Colville, WA. By this point, I had been accepted into veterinary school. Returning to the organization that ignited  my passion, knowing I was about to start veterinary school, I was overtaken by an overwhelming happiness and hope for my future.  Through the thrill (and exhaustion) of being a student of veterinary medicine, I have continued to volunteer 

as much as possible. I spent my last spring break volunteering for RAVS in San Carlos, AZ, bringing wellness services to a community impacted by a  lack of access to care. 

This past summer I attended my first surgery RAVS trip as a student in Fort Berthold, ND. I appreciated and enjoyed everything I was privileged to  do on this trip: sharing a smile and conversation with a young child as I performed a physical exam and administered vaccines to her puppy; laughing with an elder as we discussed her spicy cat; scrubbing into surgery and learning alongside adept veterinarians confident in their skills. The  clinic performed hundreds of surgeries throughout the week, and my first prescrotal canine neuter was one of them.   As I move closer to graduation, I am unwavering in my dedication to build my skills as a veterinary student and to bring those skills, with compassion, as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine to communities with limited access to care. It is my vision to work in shelter and community medicine, bringing affordable care to forgotten communities and uplifting all people without judgment. I strive to become a veterinarian who decreases suffering in marginalized communities by investing deeply in them, who sees people in their struggle and their strength—a veterinarian who understands the love people have for their pets and brings that love into completion by providing services that were previously inaccessible.

 People parked their cars in an endless snaking row in the dim dark of morning—the people of the reservation with their mixed-breed dogs and cats, waiting for the care their animals desperately needed. We hurriedly checked in each animal, preparing for the long day ahead. Though the work was exhausting, nothing has ever made me feel happier than working with underserved communities. Striving to serve the underserved is the lifeblood of my veterinary journey. Before matriculation, I volunteered hundreds of hours to organizations that bring high quality, high volume spay and neuter, (HQHVSN) and wellness services to Native American and unhoused communities – and nothing has ever made me feel happier.  The first time I visited a Native American reservation, I delivered pet food door to door in the Navajo Nation of Northern Arizona. The poverty I encountered struck me to the core – widespread lack of electricity and running water; one vehicle shared by large, close-knit families; holes in roofs; cars balanced on rocks; packs of dogs trotting through gas station parking lots, covered in hundreds of ticks; a little girl standing barefoot at the door of a dilapidated building she called home. I felt like I had been transported into a photograph from the cover of National Geographic magazine.  Despite all these things, the beauty and power of the Navajo people’s culture towered proudly against this desolate backdrop. The resiliency I sensed in their community evoked the very definition of the word sacred. The joy, dignity and pride that the people carried along with the heavy burden of a history of unspeakable brutality and generational trauma - contradicted yet complemented one another like the red Navajo rock beneath a brilliant blue, cloudless desert sky.  The first Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) clinic trip I attended two years later catalyzed the latent desire that lay in my heart to serve  underserved communities. I arrived at Standing Rock, North Dakota with an open heart and open mind, devoid of expectation. As I learned how to  transform a gymnasium into a highly efficient and organized spay and neuter clinic, my heart began to find its home. The certainty and rightness I  found within myself grew stronger throughout the week as I reveled in the privilege of working with shelter veterinarians from around the United States;  they all possessed such talent, good humor, humility and compassion that it was contagious. The happiness and appreciation that the families experienced as they received vital services for their pets was worth far more than any monetary payment I could have received from my time spent there.  On the plane ride home I knew - without a single doubt - from the core of my being, that I wanted to become a veterinarian who served these forgotten communities. I started volunteering with a local organization, The Parker Project, who brings HQHVSN and  wellness services to Navajo nation and Hopi tribes. I immersed myself in service of reservation cats and dogs and the people who love them.  I attended my second RAVS clinic in Colville, WA. By this point, I had been accepted into veterinary school. Returning to the organization that ignited  my passion, knowing I was about to start veterinary school, I was overtaken by an overwhelming happiness and hope for my future.  Through the thrill (and exhaustion) of being a student of veterinary medicine, I have continued to volunteer as much as possible. I spent my last spring break volunteering for RAVS in San Carlos, AZ, bringing wellness services to a community impacted by a  lack of access to care.  This past summer I attended my first surgery RAVS trip as a student in Fort Berthold, ND. I appreciated and enjoyed everything I was privileged to  do on this trip: sharing a smile and conversation with a young child as I performed a physical exam and administered vaccines to her puppy; laughing with an elder as we discussed her spicy cat; scrubbing into surgery and learning alongside adept veterinarians confident in their skills. The  clinic performed hundreds of surgeries throughout the week, and my first prescrotal canine neuter was one of them.   As I move closer to graduation, I am unwavering in my dedication to build my skills as a veterinary student and to bring those skills, with compassion, as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine to communities with limited access to care. It is my vision to work in shelter and community medicine, bringing affordable care to forgotten communities and uplifting all people without judgment. I strive to become a veterinarian who decreases suffering in marginalized communities by investing deeply in them, who sees people in their struggle and their strength—a veterinarian who understands the love people have for their pets and brings that love into completion by providing services that were previously inaccessible.