Rachel Auman '25

Rachel Auman, a senior from Kane, Pa, is wrapping up her final semester at Pitt-Bradford and preparing for the next step in her academic career: veterinary school at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

“I think I applied to up to 20 schools. I accepted Lincoln Memorial because it is kind of like around here -- a rural area with plenty of large and small animals,” she said.

Auman is a biology major on the pre-veterinary track who has clocked over 200 hours job shadowing at vet clinics over the summer. She spent time with Kinzua Vet Clinic in Warren, Pa. and Potter County Vet Clinic in Coudersport, Pa, -- one of the few large animal veterinary practices in the area.

“Every clinic is different. In Warren, I was observing everyday appointments and surgeries. At Potter County, I got to go on farm calls and help handle the animals,” she said.

As an owner of large animals, two pet pigs named Norbert and Fern, Auman struggles finding local veterinary services that can accommodate her pets. Her goal is to specialize in surgery or emergency care, start her own practice and bring large animal veterinary expertise to rural northwestern Pennsylvania. 

“I have to drive over an hour with them to get them seen by a vet, and there’s no emergency care. My animals mean the world to me -- we need something in the area,” she said.

On campus, Auman recently presented research she conducted with Melissa Odorisio on Pollen as a Bioindicator of Heavy Metal Pollution at the annual Penn-York Undergraduate Research Conference. Dr. Ryan Myers also gave her added motivation in her research and classwork. She can also be found tutoring at the Academic Coaching & Tutoring Center or helping organize matches at the sand volleyball court as president of the Recreational Volleyball Club.