Two University of Arkansas-Monticello students, Codie Jo Tupa of Sparkman and Katelynn Lewis of Beekman, La., benefited from college-level courses while in high school.
Both were admitted to veterinary schools. Tupa is considering her options between Louisiana State University and the University of Missouri. Lewis was accepted and enrolled at Louisiana State University.
Tupa and Lewis are only in their third years at UAM in the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, but will graduate as academic seniors in May.
TUPA
Tupa knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian, so she prepared herself for this path for a long time. UAM has offered her various opportunities such as working with large animals such as cattle and sheep. She credits Rocky Lindsey, an associate professor of animal sciences at UAM, with helping her through the process. Tupa said he’s answered a thousand questions in just the last two semesters.
Tupa is quick to credit her parents. Sacrifices were made to get Tupa into vet school.
“I have a brother who is studying medicine. I grew up on a farm. If my mom could have any kind of animal, she would,” Tupa said. “She loves all the weird animals we have including little mini donkeys, chickens, ducks and cattle. She now wants a peacock and an emu.”
She credits her interest in animals to her mentor, Harry Clemons, owner of LiL h Quarter Horses. Tupa helps care for about 40 horses for Clemons.
“He’s probably the main reason I became a vet. He allowed me to pursue my dream of riding and caring for horses,” she said.
Tupa is particularly interested in breeding cattle using artificial insemination and embryo transfers. She has also worked on calf castration and is interested in Lindsey’s work researching a drug called flunixin meglumine.
The drug is given to relieve pain and help animals gain weight. Tupa said her ideal job would be as a veterinarian specializing in horses and large animals. It’s no coincidence that Tupa has spent the last three years on the UAM rodeo team.
“College rodeo is different from high school rodeo because they’re the toughest rodeo athletes that compete,” she said. “The horses and riders are top notch and there is no slacking off in the rodeo or in training. It was an amazing experience and I couldn’t have done it without a coach as encouraging and helpful as Rusty Jones.”
Faith called the women to the vet school.
Tupa has maximized her time at UAM by joining multiple clubs including the Pre-Vet Club, the Cattleman’s Club, and the Collegiate Farm Bureau Club. She is also active in Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Tupa has made two trips to Belize with Lindsey and 35 other Christian Veterinary Missionary staff, where she learned how to spay and neuter animals. Tupa believes her international experience will give her an advantage when entering the job market. Lewis will be taking a similar trip to Belize this summer.
Tupa and Lewis credit their faith for guiding them to their chosen path. Tupa believes veterinary medicine is her calling and that she was led to UAM.
LEWIS
Lewis prayed about her decision to study veterinary medicine. “I was just praying for that, and I felt like God wanted me there. I just took a leap of faith, went to college and it was a good choice,” Lewis said.
Lewis said she didn’t originally plan to be a vet. Lewis’ story is slightly different from that of some other UAM Pre-Vet students.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I wanted to be a vet in high school, so I was just doing my college courses. I didn’t know if I wanted to go to college, but I took the courses just in case,” Lewis said.
The professional decision to become a veterinarian was made later.
“The veterinary side is something I thought about in high school, and I started to delve into it more as I got closer to graduating,” Lewis said.
At her high school, Lewis said the classes were called “dual enrollment.”
“I took college-level biology, psychology, and math courses in high school. Later, I stumbled across my interest in veterinary medicine,” she said.
Lewis grew up on a farm that raised horses and cattle. She also participates in barrel races and tapes events between classes.
“I’ve joined a club, but because of schoolwork, I only drive if it doesn’t interfere with my classwork,” said Lewis.
Her hometown of Beekman, La. is just off the Arkansas Line off US 425. Lewis drives 45 minutes to and from campus every day. Lewis said she wants to stay close to her family, so the Monticello campus is a good fit.
She, too, cites the large animals on the UAM farm as a selling point for the university’s farming program. The fact that she could live at home and attend classes at the same time was a big plus in her decision to go to UAM.
“And because it was cheaper,” Lewis said.
She said the hands-on opportunities were key to competing with other students when it came to getting accepted.
“Working with the larger animals gives me an edge over some of the other students,” said Lewis.
Lewis said her most valuable lessons about becoming a veterinarian may not have been animal-related.
“I used to work my Me Maw’s truck stop over the summers,” she said.
Pamela Brantley, Lewis’ grandmother, runs Sissy’s Chevron U-Pak-It in Bastrop, La. Lewis said Brantley taught her about the truck stop and gas station business when she was 13. Lewis now keeps the gas station registers to prepare the food.
Lewis said her “Me Maw” encouraged her to pursue further education.
“She wanted me to go to vet school. I think it helps to know that side of the business. Social skills, it all feeds into the vet side of the business,” Lewis said.
UAM PROGRAM
Lindsey said the UAM’s application and acceptance rate to the vet school is above the national average.
“According to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, the average acceptance rate of veterinary medicine applicants in 2021 was 14%,” Lindsey said. “As of 2019, the UAM student acceptance rate is 73%, with eight out of eleven applicants successfully accepted into the veterinary school. That’s because we have great students and a thoughtful, well-advised program that we invest time and energy in so students can be successful in their application. Our students also have a lot of hands-on instruction in large animals and small ruminants, which sets them apart as applicants.”
Katelyn Lewis
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