![\"Kristi](\"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kristi-Crow-Student-Feature-300x192.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFrom a young age, Kristi loved animals\nand knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. She decided to pursue veterinary\nmedicine because it combined her passion for helping people and animals into\none. Originally from Brownsburg, Ind., Kristi attended Purdue University to get\nan undergraduate degree in animal sciences and decided to continue on to obtain\nher DVM degree at Purdue as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kristi said she has found that the Purdue Veterinary Medicine curriculum provides for a vast amount of hands-on training and animal handling from the first year. She is very appreciative of the opportunity to work with various animals throughout all four years because it has allowed her to strengthen her skill-set and confidence. One of her favorite aspects of her time at the College involves the way that students are encouraged to participate in study abroad opportunities. As part of her Purdue veterinary education, Kristi has traveled to Japan and South Africa, and plans to return to South Africa and visit Malawi for two blocks during her clinical year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kristi has always had a strong\ninterest in leadership roles and said she is most comfortable when she can work\nto make an impact. SAVMA Purdue has offered her the opportunity to help the\nstudent body, college, and community. She said she has enjoyed these\nexperiences, which enabled her to give back to others and build skills through\nleadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kristi\u2019s current veterinary related interests are focused around public health and international medicine. She is passionate about sharing her journey through veterinary school and educating the public about the veterinary profession. Her desire to share her experiences with others led Kristi to start a blog. To read more about Kristi and different topics related to being a veterinary student, check out her blog posts on Merck Manuals Student Stories<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n Caitlin said she has always loved Purdue University, and even as\na child, she dreamed of being a Boilermaker and working in the veterinary field. Most of Caitlin\u2019s family attended Purdue,\nwhich led her to be passionate about being a Purdue student and dedicating\nherself to her studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a Purdue freshman, Caitlin began volunteering in Purdue Veterinary Medicine\u2019s oncology service and she said that\u2019s when she realized she wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. One thing that makes a PVM education distinctive, according to Caitlin, is that students are able to spend so much time in the hospital perfecting skills. She loves how she and her classmates receive so much valuable experience before entering the workforce. Caitlin noted that by the end of her fourth year, she will have spent more than 1,300 hours in clinical rotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Caitlin-Obren2-179x300.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n