By Cristopher Pineda, Sept. 10, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona alumna Arely Navarro just started her first year at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine after receiving the Barbara Kollin Veterinary Medicine scholarship covering the cost of her tuition for all four years of graduate school.
Navarro graduated from CPP with a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a pre-veterinary emphasis in December 2023. Being a first-generation Latina student and starting college during the pandemic initially made it difficult for her to feel connected to the CPP community. Still, she found a place in the Reading, Advising and Mentoring Program, a federally funded resource used to increase retention and graduation rates of low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities.
“During RAMP, I got exposed to a lot of different meetings of people going through graduate school, students who have struggled to be first-generation and being exposed to all of these different people who are also Cal Poly alumni,” Navarro said. “RAMP supported me by helping me build my resume, opening up my VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) application for veterinary school and being there for me both mentally and socially.”
Navarro was also involved in many different organizations on campus such as the Zoology Club, Pre-Veterinary Club, undergraduate research through the biology department and Arabian Horse Center.
She said she received many opportunities through the Pre-Veterinary Club and the mentorship of advisor Kathleen Earle, a lecturer and retired veterinarian in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department.
“With the wisdom I saw in her, she knew to handle tough situations,” Earle said. “When she was APVMA president, a situation would come up that she was challenged with. First of all, she would reach out and ask for help, which is already a sign of wisdom, and she would listen to advice given. She would assimilate it and also rely on her own inherent patience and kindness to mitigate issues that came up.”
In the 2023-2024, Navarro was president of the national organization, American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association (APVMA), that hosted the symposium at North Carolina State University in March 2024. The APVMA organization hosts a national symposium for prospective veterinary students, awarding scholarships and mentorship, and does outreach to different organizations and colleges in the veterinary field.
Navarro recounted the feeling of receiving the scholarship. As she said, she was sad because she did not receive a scholarship of up to $10,000. However, Navarro was at her emergency vet clinic job and received news that not only would she be getting a $37,000 scholarship, but $37,000 for each year of veterinary school.
“I kept reading first, second, third, fourth year and I just started crying,” Navarro said. “I ended up calling my mom who was on her way to view an apartment that I was planning to stay at in Davis and I said, ‘Yo lo hice, I did it, I got a full ride!’”
While hosting the APVMA Symposium, Navarro had already accepted her spot at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine but took the time to introduce herself to the UC Davis admissions booth where she spoke to Anila Ahmad, UC Davis’s admissions coordinator. Months later, after her white-coat ceremony during her first week at vet school, she recognized Ahmad and went up to formally introduce herself, not knowing that Ahmad was part of the scholarship awarding process.
“I will never forget that moment that we had,” Navarro said. “Talking to this person that feels like, for a first-generation student raised by immigrants, a ticket to higher education; it felt so surreal.”
Navarro said she made a lot of friends with both CPP students and faculty, and she cherishes the CPP community that supported her and her peers.
Ericka Diaz a fellow animal science alumna said, “She worked very hard to ensure there would be a spot for her in her dream vet school because of all the opportunities she took advantage of in undergrad. This has helped motivate me as well to keep going for my goals.”
Navarro said she enjoys being a leader in her community and wants to continue to hold a leadership role that will inspire others to receive higher education. She wants to be a mentor to everyone, specifically those in underrepresented communities for veterinary graduate school. Navarro started her Instagram page, @diversevetvoices, to encourage others to take on the path of higher education.
“I would go on YouTube and did not find a person of color advocating to help people get into vet school,” Navarro said. “I want to be that figure and person. Through my time at vet school, I will figure out how to help others and become that person.”
Even though she has just entered her first year of veterinary school, Navarro has already made steps as a leader, becoming one of three presidents of her cohort of 150 students. After veterinary school, she said she hopes to go into a specialty and give back to underrepresented communities by providing free veterinary care and mentoring pre-veterinary students.
Feature image courtesy of Arely Navarro
