Students with Sights Set on International Horizons Turn Out for Global Engagement Fair

Friday, October 21, 2022

Dean Willie Reed with the 17 Purdue veterinary students who received certificates of recognition at the Global Engagement Fair for completing the Global Veterinary Certificate Program.

Each fall, the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Office of Global Engagement hosts an event that spotlights study abroad opportunities and recognizes the students who have taken advantage of them or are interested in doing so. The Global Engagement Fair offers a way for DVM and Veterinary Nursing students to mingle, have fun, and celebrate the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s global initiatives and opportunities. This year’s fair was held Friday evening, October 14, in the Veterinary Medical Library in Lynn Hall.

“We honor the students who studied abroad the year before, and offer prospective students a chance to learn about our great international learning opportunities,” said Addison Sheldon, the college’s director of global engagement. “It’s also when we recognize our students who completed the Global Veterinary Certificate Program, which was created to engage students in regard to their role in affecting world change through the improvement of animal and human health. It’s important to honor our amazing students who understand the importance of being globally conscious veterinary professionals and take steps to participate in one of our many global engagement opportunities.”

Guest of honor at the Global Engagement Fair, Dr. Alejandro Morales (right) of ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center in Guatemala, sports his new Purdue Veterinary Medicine Jacket as he joins Addison Sheldon and Dean Willie Reed for a photo

The Global Engagement Fair featured festive foods, international displays and a program in which certificates of recognition were given out to students who completed the Global Veterinary Certificate Program. A total of 17 veterinary students received the certificates from Dean Willie Reed as Addison called them to come forward and be recognized.

This year’s event was extra special because of a guest of honor. Dr. Alejandro Morales visited the college from the ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center in Guatemala. Dr. Morales leads Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s study abroad program in Guatemala, and he is one of the professors who participates in the college’s online Wildlife Medicine Certificate course. While visiting Lynn Hall, Dr. Morales gave two lectures Thursday and Friday, October 13 and 14, on the topics of “Primate and Psittacine Rehabilitation,” and “Wildlife Release Process and Rehabilitation.” Then on Friday evening he attended the Global Engagement Fair, where he received special recognition and a Purdue Veterinary Medicine jacket as a memento of the time he spent at Purdue with veterinary students, faculty and staff.