Alumni Spotlight: Corinne Woodson '14

Corinne Woodson ’14 knew early on that she wanted to become a veterinarian, and she actually tributes Indian Creek School (ICS) for instilling in her a passion for the veterinary sciences. In fact, it was Ms. Lara Tukarski’s science class that had the most impact on her, giving Corinne her earliest love for the life sciences, biological systems, and animals. “I used to help [Ms. Tukarski] take care of the chinchillas in her classroom in middle school, and I was part of her "Double-helix" Club for biology lovers. My biology classes and labs in both middle and upper school played a major role in [my] making this career choice. ICS also gave me a great level of discipline in regards to my studies, which comes in handy with all of the material I am getting in vet school.”

Corinne is now almost through the end of her final year as a veterinary student at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine; she will graduate in May 2022! She recently passed the NAVLE licensing exam and plans to go into dog, cat, and exotic pet general practice. (The chinchillas she worked with at ICS as perfect examples of exotic pets, which are small mammals like guinea pigs, rats, ferrets, birds, and reptiles.
 

After graduating from ICS, Corinne went to Ohio Wesleyan University for three and half years, graduating a semester early. “I used the extra semester off to work as a veterinary assistant at my local veterinary clinic and do my interviews for vet school. The interviews were scenario-based and very unconventional. I received my notification of acceptance to vet school while I was at work and could barely contain my excitement. After filling out a bunch of paperwork, I find myself in my first year of veterinary school with many field options...we'll see where this next chapter takes me.”

Corinne’s favorite memory of ICS was winning the girl's lacrosse championship to a team they had lost to earlier that season. “It was the second consecutive year in a row we had won the championship. It was a great feeling and a great way to cap off my senior year!”

Corinne advises her fellow Creekers hoping to become veterinarians to shadow a professional vet while still in high school: “Shadowing veterinarians in high school as well (as enjoying the subject matter at school) really helped me decide if this was a career I could see myself doing. After all, it’s better to find out if its right for you now than in college because the requirements you must take in college to get into vet school are very specific.”