She is an officer in FFA, works at the New Hope Animal Hospital, and is raising a goat and pig. Since she could walk, she’s had a love of animals that drives her to work her tail off to become a future large and small animal veterinarian.

Senior Brieanna Damron started working at the New Hope Animal Hospital in May of last year. She worked as a volunteer for three months before she secured a job at the hospital.

“Before school started, I worked around 40 hour weeks, but since began, I’ve cut that in half, so now I work about 25 hour weeks during school,” Damron said.

She is working towards her CVA Certification, which will make her a Certified Veterinary Assistant level one.

“I can’t go into radiation and I can’t mess with anesthesia, because I’m not 18,” Damron said. “I’ve been taught everything else, so I can put in catheters, take blood draws, and stuff like that.”

She is planning to save money by attending Blinn College after high school before transferring into A&M University for veterinary school.

“I’m going to apply for [the Blinn TEAM], it’s cheaper and easier,” Damron said.

The practicum class that Damron was accepted into allows her to work at the animal hospital for two class periods during school.

“I want to be large and small animal vet, so I want to work with household pets as well as livestock,” Damron said. “I want to start my own clinic.”

As a senior, Damron is the vice president of FFA chapter, so she has many responsibilities in her chapter, including setting up meetings, committees, and making sure everything goes smoothly.

“I’m trying to get involved in the field right now to get a step ahead of everybody else,” Damron said.