PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – For Nycole Anderson, graduation from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) means starting a new chapter, one that consists of shadowing veterinarians and fulfilling the other prerequisites of applying to veterinary school, which she hopes to begin in 2022-23.
Nycole Anderson
One of the ways she has satisfied those prerequisites is by being a local humane society/shelter volunteer, but Anderson’s interest is less in animals than in lab animal research. It’s the reason for her ongoing work with the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Research Leadership Council.
“It’s kind of connected because it’s research-based, and I want to go into research,” said Anderson, who’s earning her degree from PVAMU in agriculture with a concentration in animal science. “AYA is for young adults with autoimmune diseases, and the goal is to influence and disseminate autoimmune disease research.”
Vet school applications are due in September, and Anderson is looking at Tuskegee, North Carolina and Washington State Universities. The geographical breadth of her search mirrors early life as a daughter of a military dad.
“I’ve been all over the world,” she said. “I’ve lived in Japan, Germany and Hawaii.” Anderson lists Marshall, Texas, as her home, though, and she comes from a long line of Prairie View grads. “My parents met at Prairie View, my aunt went here, and so did my brother and another of my cousins. And my younger sister is starting here; she’s moving on campus in a couple of days.”
Surprisingly, attending PVAMU wasn’t a foregone conclusion for Anderson. She initially looked elsewhere, but, she said, Prairie View’s generous scholarship offers pulled her in.
“Once I got the Regents Merit Scholarship, that basically covered everything, so suddenly I was saying, ‘I definitely am going to Prairie View now,’” she said. Her eventual honors thesis would focus on diversity in veterinary medicine and investigate the challenges Black students face entering the field — and emphasize her own decision-making during the college application process.
“The field is supposed to be 97% white, so I was trying to figure out what is stopping Black students from applying to vet school and what challenges they face applying and once they get into vet school,” Anderson said. “I found that a lot of problems boil down to student loans and debt. Once they’re in, they face a lot of racism and discrimination that discourages them from continuing their careers.”
Her PVAMU experience has been overwhelmingly positive, she said, despite activities curtailed by the pandemic. She began in a PVAMU Summer Bridge Program, became engaged with the Pre-Vet Club (for which she served as an academic advisor), and entered the Honors Program. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, she studied abroad in China as part of the Honors Program. She said it was an eye-opening experience where she enjoyed cultural experiences, as well as trips to medical facilities and an introduction to traditional Chinese medicine.
“I feel like my work with the Honors Program and the Pre-Vet Program really helped me prepare for applying to veterinary school,” Anderson said. “The Pre-Vet Program brought in students currently in veterinary schools and told me what I needed to get done in order to apply. They really helped me figure out what I wanted to do.”
By Andrew Cohen
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