Despite the end of the school year often meaning high-stakes exams are around the corner, a select few students gladly participated in a two-day challenge that could be extremely beneficial to their future careers.
For the second time, the University of Calgary and the Calgary Stampede have collaborated to host the Youth Veterinary Science Challenge. From Friday through Saturday, high school students from across Alberta will participate in a hands-on learning experience tailored to animal science at the UCalgary Spy Hill Campus, according to a Stampede-issued release.
“The initiative is designed to inspire and develop the next generation of animal science professionals through experiential learning and competition,” the release reads.
Aislinn Frank, a Grade 10 Student at Foundations for the Future Charter Academy in Calgary, said that her reasons for signing up for the challenge were two-fold.
“I’ve always been interested in blood and gore; it’s a very interesting subject to me. There’s been a brief period of time where I wanted to go into pathology and learn about diseases and look at bacteria and all that sort of stuff,” she said, adding that her mom works on campus.
“I enjoy being here; it’s a very fun place to be.”
Throughout the day so far, Frank said that she’d learned about the anatomy of a cow and some X-ray and ultrasound work, among other things.
Dr. Robert McCorkell, Associate Dean of Admissions and Community Engagement at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, said that Friday is the students’ learning day and Saturday is when their skills are really put to the test.
Aside from completing the challenge itself, McCorkell hopes that students get first-hand experience and validation from the event.
“They come in with an understanding of what veterinary medicine is. I hope we broaden their understanding while they’re here, keep their interest up and show them the opportunity that exists,” he said.
“We want to keep them curious, tease them a little bit with what other things they might learn as they as they were to develop their career or interest in veterinary medicine, and show them all the different opportunities that exist in this.”
Speaking on behalf of the Calgary Stampede, Kristina Barnes, Director of Agriculture and Western Events, said that this challenge is just the most recent installment in a long, fruitful relationship with UCalgary.
“Our partnership with the University of Calgary has been primarily research-based,” she said.
“This is really a fantastic extension to our relationship to really introduce young people in our province to what is possible in different careers.”
Both Barnes and McCorkell said that the challenge is an annual happening and is expected to increase enrolment in the coming years.
Piquing interest early pays dividends
Unlike some skilled trades programs offered to youth, which actively and openly aim to fill an increasing workforce shortage, McCorkell said that veterinary medicine has historically seen consistent interest from undergrad and graduate students.
That said, recruiting the next generation is never a bad thing.
“We want to diversify the population that’s coming into the program, and we need to make sure that we get in contact with as many young people as we can that are in Alberta,” McCorkell said.
“There are lots of different career paths, I can even use my own example. I didn’t want to be in an office when I was working, so I spent most of my veterinary career outside, so these are opportunities that you can have as a veterinarian.”
No matter which line of work she ends up in after high school, Frank said that the challenge will have left an impact.
“It’ll allow me to have experiences not only with other people and socialising, but also with being able to learn and gain new experiences that will benefit me in the future in ways that I probably don’t even know yet,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to learning new things about the field and gaining new experiences. It’s a really lovely thing they have put together.”
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