From leading tours for prospective students to organizing annual showcases and alumni events, the SVM Ambassadors work tirelessly to represent the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Our whole role, basically, is to just like, be the stars of the show for incoming students, but also for, like, alumni events,” said Kaitlynn Moore, a second-year vet student and ambassador chair.
The ambassadors are responsible for showing prospective students around the vet school, including the advanced machinery and resources that aren’t common in everyday practice.
Ambassadors also volunteer at an annual showcase every March for accepted students, featuring a student panel and multiple clubs at the vet school. They work at alumni events, often showing alumni the changes and improvements made since their time at LSU.
Being an ambassador has enabled Moore to make deep connections with prospective students and advise them on their decision to come to LSU.
One of her favorite memories from her time as an ambassador was at the school’s annual showcase last year.
Moore was directing students when someone approached her and asked if she had attended Delaware Valley University, where she had obtained her bachelor’s degree.
While initially confused, realized that she recognized the prospective student as a former classmate at Delaware Valley. The two immediately clicked, and Moore started talking to her about the program and about how Delaware Valley had prepared her for LSU.
“And, long story short, it made her come here. And now she’s here, and she’s also my little because we have a big-little program,” Moore said.
Echoing Moore, Marianna Gallaspy, an SVM ambassador and second-year vet student, emphasized how important their role is in acting as a representative for the college and helping other students.
Before registering at LSU, Gallaspy remembers feeling lost and overwhelmed until the ambassadors introduced her to the school and helped her understand the admission process.
“I wanted to be that person for someone else,” she said.
For Amber Steinhauer, a second-year vet student, being an ambassador helps put everything into perspective. Sometimes Steinhauer gets so caught up with her studies that she forgets how much she loves her field.
“I really like giving tours because it reminds me to be grateful that I’m here and not complain that there’s so much work and stress,” she said.
The SVM ambassadors also work to make minority students feel seen and welcome within the college.
As a Black woman herself, Moore recognizes the struggles that Black veterinary medicine students face across the country.
Nationally, only about 1.3% of veterinarians are Black. At LSU, the number of Black students in the veterinary medicine program is slowly growing, from seven in the class of 2028 to 12 in the class of 2029. Still, Moore laments that these numbers are extremely low.
To combat this, Moore has worked to create a support system for Black students to find a sense of community within the vet school. She believes that the more diverse a practice is, the more successful it can be.
“I think diversity makes our specialty and our career a lot better,” Moore said. “Because when you have different people from different backgrounds coming in and adding in their input, things are way more efficient.”
Valentina Nunez, another ambassador and a second-year vet student, was originally born in Colombia before immigrating to the U.S. Hispanic or Latin American people comprise only about 0.5% of veterinarians in America, so Nunez wanted to join the ambassadors to be a representative of her community.
“I want to represent those people,” Nunez said. “I definitely want to do this and help those people out and feel like a part of something bigger.”
A previous version of this story misspelled the first name of Valentina Nunez as Valentine.
