Sam's South African Veterinary Experience!!

Samantha Kause Start Date: Feb 1, 2018 - End Date: Jun 10, 2018
  • Chintsa West, Eastern Cape, South Africa

My Travel Story

by: Samantha Kause Start Date: Feb 1, 2018 - End Date: Jun 10, 2018
Hey everyone! It's me, Sam, and as some of you may know, I am currently following my dream of becoming a Veterinarian. This up-coming May I will have finished my first year at St. George's University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grenada! I have always had a love for animals and consider them part of the family, being that I give them 90% of my attention and the people surrounding me the other 10% (it’s not you, it’s just that they are too sweet). And the only thing that I could think of to make my love for my profession grow even more, is being able to travel all over the world to help the animals and communities that don't always have clinics around every corner. I have tried to live my life volunteering in places where I can really make a difference, like for non-profit organizations including VIDA in Costa Rica and at the Wildlife center in California. And because of that, it's probably no surprise to anyone that I have a new adventure set in mind. 

This summer I would love to spend my time in Chintsa, South Africa for two weeks working along with South African Veterinarians. Safari4u is an Advanced Veterinary externship opportunity for me to work with small animals, farm animals and wildlife! I would get to practice with fellow vet students and newly graduated Veterinarians, making it hard to believe that I would get a better experience anywhere else. For me, the best kind of educational experiences involve getting my hands dirty and actually working with the animals. Books are a great resource, but they won't get me to where I want to be all on their own. And the best part about this externship is that I get to provide a service to people who love their animals as much as we love ours, but do not have the same luxuries. 

Unfortunately, just because I would gain a lifetime of experiences in just three weeks, I would also be even further into my deep hole of lovely, vet school debt. Now, I could not ask for much, if anything at all, but if you would like to help donate any amount to my externship opportunity that would be amazing – if not, I am so thankful for just having your support from before, to now, and in the future. I could not be where I am today without the full support of my family and friends. Thank you all so much for reading on and on about how much animals and my Veterinary goals mean to me!
  • Chintsa West, Eastern Cape, South Africa