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Scholarships support Ft. Atkinson veterinary tech student’s mission to serve local farm families

Thursday, January 30, 2020

In 2018, CareerOneStop, an organization affiliated with the US Department of Labor, reported that veterinary technology was the fourth fastest growing occupation for people with associate's degrees in the State of Iowa, with an estimated 26 percent increase in job openings through 2024.

kayla burke news imageCALMAR—Local organizations that support their future agricultural professionals make an impact on college-bound students with ambitious dreams.

Kayla Burke, a Large Animal Veterinary Technician student at Northeast Iowa Community College’s Calmar campus, is a standout example. Burke plans to serve her hometown of Ft. Atkinson and area farming communities as a veterinarian and, considering the number of local scholarships she received, everyone wants to make it happen.

The scholarships Burke received include the Ray Bodensteiner Family Perpetual Memorial Scholarship, William and Carole Burke Family Scholarship, Keith O’Connell Memorial Scholarship, Young Minds Change Lives Scholarship, Lawler Lions Scholarship, Turkey Valley Music Boosters Scholarship, Turkey Valley Dollars for Scholars Scholarship and the Golden Ticket Scholarship through NICC.

“My goal is to graduate from Northeast Iowa Community College with a Large Animal Veterinary Technician license and find employment as a vet tech while I continue my education at Iowa State University. I plan to study veterinary medicine and hopefully one day obtain my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.). After completing eight years of college to become a veterinarian, finding a job at a veterinary clinic in northeast Iowa gives me an opportunity to help the farming families I have known my entire life!” Burke expressed.

Northeast Iowa Community College President Liang Chee Wee, Ph.D., personally awarded the Golden Ticket Scholarship to Kayla to support her education and commitment to agriculture. The May 2019 Turkey Valley High School graduate enrolled at NICC last fall. As a high school student, Burke participated in agriculture and leadership organizations, including as 4-H vice president and FFA chapter president.

“Being a member of the FFA allowed me to learn more about agriculture and helped me decide that I wanted a future career that had an impact on the agriculture community. The part-time jobs I had in high school helped lead me in the direction of an agriculture-based career,” she said. “I worked at beef and dairy farms with farmers who taught me how to give shots to calves, let me help with chute work and explained the symptoms of cattle illnesses. I loved working on the farm and interacting with animals every day.”

Employment demand is growing for graduates with Kayla Burke’s skills and knowledge. In 2018, CareerOneStop, an organization affiliated with the US Department of Labor, reported that veterinary technology was the fourth fastest growing occupation for people with associate's degrees in the State of Iowa, with an estimated 26 percent increase in job openings through 2024.

The focus of the Associate of Applied Science - Large Animal Veterinary Technician program at NIC is large animal medicine, but all aspects of veterinary technician medicine are covered. The program utilizes the College’s dairy herd, a commercial companion animal hospital and internships to develop exposure to different species and to different aspects of veterinary medicine. Graduates gain the skills and knowledge needed for employment at veterinary clinics and the veterinary industry such as sales and corporate and private animal nursing. The Large Animal Veterinary Technician Program is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA)

More information about the program, including curriculum and employment opportunities, is available at www.nicc.edu/vettech.