WOODBURY – As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian. I feel like that’s the dream for a lot of kids, actually. Auburn University’s Dr. Chris Carpenter states that today, one in five children aged eight to 11 wants to become a veterinarian. You imagine days being filled to the brim with playing with puppies and kittens and just hanging out with people who love animals, all while making great money. Nobody really takes into consideration the work and level of commitment that are needed to succeed in the veterinary world.

 At least, I know I didn’t. 

I applied to Nonnewaug mainly for their vet science program because I knew it would give me an advantage over students from schools where you don’t get the hands-on learning experience we get here at Nonnewaug. But after a few dissections in class, I realized being a vet was probably not something that I could see myself doing. Also (as it turns out) you need to have, at minimum, a basic understanding of math, which I definitely don’t have. 

“When I interview possible freshmen, about 85% of them know exactly what program they want to go into,” says Lee Whalen, the director of Nonnewaug’s Agriscience program. “I always ask why do you want to come into the program, and nine times out of ten, I hear they want to become veterinarians.”  

When you think of careers based around animals, the brain almost automatically goes to being a vet. My goal was actually originally to become a small, large, and exotic animal vet, which is pretty ambitious when you look at how many years of schooling you would need just to become a small animal vet, which is eight. 

“When I first came to Nonnewaug, I really thought I was going to be a vet,” says Tess Cuccia, a senior at Nonnewaug. “But after taking just one vet class and after we did a couple dissections, I realized I wasn’t cut out for it.”

I feel as though agriscience has better prepared me and so many other students for their future, even if it’s finding out that what you planned to do your whole life isn’t realistic when you can’t handle blood. 

One of those students was Cuccia, whose path was changed early on during her time at Nonnewaug. 

“I’ve now been in landscaping for two years and have really enjoyed the class and have learned a lot of skills and made connections that will help me later in life,” Cuccia says. “If I hadn’t gone to Nonnewaug, I might not have found out that I really love landscaping and wouldn’t be on the path I’m on today. I probably would still be trying to be a vet, which is now something I could never see myself doing.” 

Even though I decided not to pursue a veterinary career, I still enjoy working with the small animals every day in class, and I knew that vet class would definitely still be the agriscience class that I would finish out my years here at Nonnewaug with. I just wasn’t sure how animals were going to fit into my future anymore. 

Beyond Nonnewaug, my course of study and career will feature animals and ensuring that they’re cared for, yet I’ll be doing this outside the scope of veterinary medicine. This realization is one that I’m fortunate to have had while a high school student, a time that’s allowed me to blend my interests with reality. When next September rolls around, I look forward to applying my energy toward pursuing a career in training elite personal protection and military grade dogs. This is a path that I would most likely not be on without the connections I have made through my time here at Nonnewaug. 

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Selena Argiro-Bevilacqua.