Spring Extravaganza Spotlights PVM International Programs

Friday, April 6, 2018

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Twila Canion and Melissa Liu

Twila Canion and Melissa Liu, both of the DVM Class of 2019, enjoy the MatchBOX Coworking Studio, which was the site of the Spring Extravaganza.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Global Engagement (formerly the Office of International Programs), the International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA) Purdue, and the Purdue Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment, and Research (CILMAR) hosted the annual Spring Extravaganza last Friday, March 30, at the MatchBOX Coworking Studio in Downtown Lafayette. Over 50 PVM students, faculty, and staff attended the event.

Spring Extravaganza attendees

Students pose for a photo with Dean Willie Reed at the 2018 Spring Extravaganza (left-right): Destiny Evans and Asia Fernandes, both of the DVM Class of 2020; Twila Canion, of the DVM Class of 2019; and Kristal Spann, of the DVM Class of 2021.

The evening’s activities included an opportunity for attendees to dialogue with the CILMAR’s Cultural Catalyst, a group of international students that specialize in intercultural dialogue. Students and faculty shared experiences involving their impressions of the United States, views of animal health from their respective countries, and various perspectives on approaches to veterinary medicine as a whole. The speakers hailed from Lebanon, India, China, and Thailand, just to name a few of the various countries represented at the event.

Spring Extravaganza attendees

Pictured (left-right): Mary Jordan and Nikol Irizarry, both of the DVM Class of 2019; Javie Pino, of the DVM Class of 2021; and Ezequiel Montanez, of the DVM Class of 2020, mingle at the 2018 Spring Extravaganza.

In addition, students who completed the Global Veterinary Medicine Certificate Program this year were recognized by Dean Willie Reed, who congratulated them on their hard work. The goal of the PVM Office of Global Engagement is to develop more globally conscious veterinary professionals that are ready to collaborate, exchange, and engage with the world around them. The certificate program was put in place to assist students on this path, and expose them to global approaches to veterinary medicine, ways to market their global experience, as well as methods to enhance their intercultural communication skills.  A total of 38 PVM students completed the certificate program.

Wrapping up the event, attendees bid farewell to 2017-2018 IVSA Purdue officers and welcomed the new officers who will lead the club during the 2018-2019 school year.  Thank you to all who attended this year’s Spring Extravaganza!

Global Veterinary Medicine Certificate Program recipients

Dean Willie Reed at the International Programs Spring Extravaganza with PVM students who completed the Global Veterinary Medicine Certificate Program: (front row, left-right) Alexandra Wood, Rebecca Jarvis, Danielle Miller, Brittany Crenshaw, Annadele Harris, Ganlei Huang, Katie Fischbach, and Alex Osborne; (back row, left-right) Kiara Harden, Sara Canada, Melissa Liu, Nikol Irizarry, Mallory Clayton, Mary Jordan, Alyssa-Francene Tamayo, Laura May, and Alexandra Scott.


Writer(s): Helen Thimlar, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu


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