Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine inspires future veterinarians through video series

Sandy San Miguel

A program through Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine is reaching students across the country through virtual means to continue inspiring future veterinarians.

Sandy San Miguel, associate dean of engagement and the founder of the “This is How We Role” program, and Wright Frazier, director of web communications, created a Facebook video series to help deliver virtual interactive lessons to students. The videos are a combination of challenge and answer videos to encourage students to ask about veterinary medicine. The videos can be accessed here on Facebook.

“This is How We Role” was created to help provide science and math experiences to kids in grades K-4 who are educationally disadvantaged due to socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity, with the long-term goal of diversifying the veterinarian-scientist workforce. The program is supported by the Science Education Partnership Award program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.

Although the program won’t be able to deliver in-person lessons for the time being because of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Miguel hopes to reach students through the video series in an engaging way.

“I feel that now, in this time of uncertainty, where routines have been disrupted, and kids can’t go to school, it’s more important than ever to give kids a vision of hope, and empower them with a mission to look forward to each day,” San Miguel said. “We can all help out in our own way.”

The online series will continue for at least five more weeks. Answers to questions and challenges, where students are asked to do an activity, are posted at 9 a.m. ET every day.