George Aguiar

George Aguiar

Hometown: Turlock, CA
Role:
Lab Manager
Side Hustle:
Reindeer Farmer
Passion: 
Animal Husbandry

What drew you to the vet med program?
The opportunity to be part of something that could potentially help address the lack of support for livestock production in Alaska.

What's been one of your favorite experiences here?
My favorite experience has been the opportunity to assist Dr. Lunn in her large animal labs. Watching the students interact and learn with cattle and horses as first-year vet students, knowing that one day they will be out in the world taking care of people's livestock, makes for a pretty rewarding day.

Speaking of experience, we're pretty proud of being able to offer the Alaskan experience to our students from time to time. What's so cool about working with animals like reindeer?
I think that the most valuable thing about exposure to these arctic ungulates is having a hands-on opportunity to learn about them and how they differ from traditional livestock. Reindeer, though few, are scattered from California to New York and everywhere in-between. Reindeer are livestock. And, who knows, maybe one day, many years from now, a graduate from this program will receive a call from a farmer who needs a vet that has some familiarity with reindeer.

What advice do you have for students interested in going into Veterinary Medicine?
My advice to students going into vet med is to take advantage of opportunities that allow behind-the-scenes exposure to any type of industry that involves animal care. Being familiar with all the moving parts of these industries and how a veterinarian can best assist seems like a pretty good idea to me... when that day comes.

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