Way to Veterinary School for Caroline Jones

Jones’ family moved to Oklahoma shortly before her freshman year and her love for animals was one of the things that led her to FFA.

“I had my horse and my dogs, but I know I was missing something,” said Jones. “I found out about FFA through my school counselor and I went out the FFA farm one day. I saw that they had animals out there and that was when I decided I wanted to get involved.”

In addition to showing animals as part of her FFA experience, Jones also got deeply involved in many other aspects of the program. That included entomology and livestock judging.

Southmoore alum and recent OSU graduate Caroline Jones has been dreaming of becoming a veterinarian for as long as she can remember. The road to becoming a veterinarian is one of the toughest around, but Jones says participating in Moore’s FFA program as a high school student played a big role in her acceptance to OSU’s veterinary program.

“I don't think I would have gotten into OSY without all the experiences that I had through FFA,” said Jones. “The veterinary schools really, really like seeing that on your resume. All of the experience I've accumulated throughout those four years at Southmoore really helped propel me into the positions I was able to hold in college. And so, I really would recommend FFA to anybody.”

Jones says she’s planning on a career as a large animal veterinarian. OSU’s programs made it her top choice.

“I had a couple different offers for a few other schools,” said Jones.

“Oklahoma State has a phenomenal bovine program, so obviously I was thrilled when I found out I was accepted.”

“We would go all around Oklahoma identifying different species of bugs,” said Jones. “And livestock judging was a lot of fun as well.”

But it was the combination of relationships with people and animals in FFA that really cemented Jones’ passion for veterinary medicine.

“I always knew I loved animals and never had to second-guess that,” said Jones, “But I also love people and that’s a big aspect of the veterinary community. In fact, a major reason why I want to go into this profession because I enjoy helping others and I love getting to know their story and how I can be of use to them and, you know, make them more profitable with their ranch.”

Jones hopes that high school students take advantage of FFA and the various ways it can help them achieve their goals in life.

“FFA is about so much more than most people think,” said Jones. “Yes, you learn about so much that’s related to agriculture, animals, and farming. But I also learned great lessons in leadership, communication, and public speaking. I had so many different opportunities opened for me through FFA and the only thing was that you have to take advantage of them.”