Opportunity Barks Pickerington North graduate hopes to inspire students with her path to veterinary medicine
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hen Liane Davila-Martin was the first Latina student to receive a Distinguished Academic Scholar award at Pickerington North, it was a bittersweet success. “I was very proud of it at the moment,” she says. “But at the same time, that (made me) question, ‘Are they motivating Latino and minority students to go to college and do well?’” Since graduating, Davila-Martin has become a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) in Bellefontaine, Ohio, and she hopes her From livestock farm visits to pets in the clinic, Davila-Martin loves working with all animals.
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story will inspire other Latino and minority students in Pickerington to make the most of their education and seek out opportunities in whatever career paths they’re interested in. According to job search website Zippia, less than 5 percent of veterinarians are Hispanic or Latino. Davila-Martin says those students face unique challenges, often starting in the classroom, but seeing others find success can help even the playing field. Davila-Martin moved from Puerto Rico to Pickerington when she was 15. Though she completed book reports, presentations and writing assignments just like any other student in Pickerington, she says people still doubted her understanding of English because of her accent. “The counselor wanted to put me in English as a second language, and my mom told her, ‘Just give her a chance,’ and I got the highest grade in my class,” she says. “I came from Puerto Rico with straight As in honors classes.” Despite her clear academic success, Davila-Martin still had to fight to carve her own path. She connected with teachers who believed in her and says that she’s www.pickeringtonmagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Liane Davila-Martin
By Tyler Kirkendall
