Earning a bachelor’s degree at Olivet Nazarene University can be the first step into a life filled with promise and success. Many students take the next step of earning a master’s or doctorate degree while others head straight into a job to start their careers.
Olivet The Magazine recently spoke with six outstanding young alumni who are continuing to pursue a higher purpose as they build on the experiences of their higher education.
Katie Bishop ’23
Major: Zoology; Minor: Chemistry
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Katie Bishop has been passionate about caring for animals since before she was in high school. As a young girl, she anticipated going to veterinary school in hopes of one day establishing a small animal general practice that would focus on serving cats and dogs. She chose to study zoology at Olivet to gain a broad understanding of animal medicine.
A summer internship at a local animal shelter further solidified her decision to pursue a graduate degree in veterinary medicine. She practiced basic medical skills, including performing physical exams and administering vaccines and oral medications. That experience and the education she received at Olivet provided a strong foundation for her success in graduate school at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I).
“One Olivet class that I feel prepared me well was biochemistry,” Katie explains. “One of the first things we are learning at the University of Illinois is the fundamentals of biochemistry, and almost all of it has been review for me, which has made my transition to vet school a little easier. The pace is definitely an adjustment, but I feel like I was prepared to make this jump in my academic career.”
The four-year veterinary medicine doctoral program gives students plenty of hands-on learning opportunities, including chances to shadow established doctors at the U of I Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well as research and clinical experiences.
“I feel that Olivet prepared me well for the academic rigor of this program,” Katie says. “I have dreamed about being a vet for so long, I’m just really excited to be able to learn things that I will use in my day-to-day life after I graduate.”
From Olivet The Magazine, Strength & Hope – Autumn 2023. Read the full issue HERE.
