USU Welcomes its 10th Class of Veterinary Medicine Students

Some of the 30 new vet med students admitted this fall, 2nd-year peer mentor Henry Clinger (back, left end), and faculty mentor Ralph Meyer, associate department head of USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

USU Welcomes its By Ethan Brightbill 10th

Class of Veterinary Medicine Students

The 10th class of Utah State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine arrived at Utah State University in mid-August for a week of orientation activities that concluded with a somewhat non-traditional White Coat Ceremony.

Aimee Thompson has been looking forward to attending USU for years.

“I applied to USU because it was my top program,” Thompson said. “I’ve been looking at USU since I was in seventh grade, and I actually took pictures outside the vet science building way back then. I found out about the program through family who live here when the program started. It’s nice to be close to Nevada where I’m from and in a great program that I’m familiar with.”

USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine is part of the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah (WIMU) Regional Program. Students admitted to Utah State’s School of Veterinary Medicine spend two years in Logan before moving to the Pullman campus of Washington State University, where they focus on clinical work, specializations, and complete their doctor of veterinary medicine degrees. Typically, orientation and the White Coat Ceremony — symbolic of students taking their initial step into the profession — are done through a program-wide gathering in Washington. Due to COVID-19, the USU cohort remained on campus and participated in the livestreamed ceremony and many of their family and friends joined them in Logan. Another first-year student, Austin Haws, cites his love for Cache Valley, the split between schools, and the program’s rigorous reputation as the reason why he applied.

“I know several people who went through the program, and even worked with some of them, like Dr. Kyle Heaton, Dr. Dalen Wood, and Dr. Michala Lindley,” Haws said. “They weren’t at the USU site, but they had great things to say about the program in general. I also like the two-year split, the hands-on experience and the small class size. It just sounded really exciting.”

While attending Utah State and the WIMU Regional Program marks a new chapter in the lives of many of the class of 2025, for some, it’s also a connection to family and the past.

“My mom’s a nurse, so I come from a medical background,” Thompson said. “However, I also have a deep passion for