Jake Nicastro, V'24
A new Curriculum is just one part of a broader imagining of the Penn Vet student experience, from start of school to finish and beyond. Third-year student Jake Nicastro, V'24, is all in.
Nicastro, who will serve as a US Army veterinarian upon graduation, chose Penn Vet because, “it’s special and offers so much.” The City of Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania. A reputation for excellence and innovation. An unrivaled caseload and diverse client base. All these elements figured into his selection, and all have shaped his experience thus far.
“Penn Vet is very unique, with a history, culture, and community you just don’t see elsewhere,” he said. “I haven’t been disappointed. The School absolutely delivers on all of its promises: in the classroom, in the clinic, as well as outside of the classroom.”
Penn Vet students attend the 2023 SAVMA Symposium at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.
Nevertheless, he offers there are opportunities to augment experiences, especially as the Penn Vet community is still recovering from a pandemic tailspin that forced a reconfiguring of many beloved traditions.
Nicastro is excited by some of the changes coming out of the Office of Admissions and Student Life, the umbrella for admissions, financial aid, registration, and other areas tangentially related to academics. The office has its eye on the holistic student experience.
“There are so many areas where students need support as they navigate the drastic lifestyle changes that come with vet school,” said Meredith Lockyer, director of students. “Penn Vet is a pioneer in all aspects of veterinary education, so it only makes sense that we continuously adapt to the world in which students live, learn, and work. Today, we’re looking at transforming student resources and supports to ensure we’re doing all we can to drive student success.”
Listening and Learning
Leading the charge is Claire Vanna Bruno, who joined Penn Vet in July 2022 as assistant dean of Admissions and Student Life. Her first step has been to listen—to students, faculty, and staff.
Students enjoy painting pumpkins during Multicutural Week.
“I’ve been on a six-month listening tour to understand the environment and community I came into. I want to understand what changes are needed and what folks find important,” she said. “The way I put it with my team is that we are looking at how the School has been doing things and asking if these are the best ways to do them. Often the answer is a resounding yes, and other times, a no.”
Among the emerging themes across her conversations are the need for better connection among students, faculty, and staff and more community-building and engagement activities.
“Post-pandemic and in our technology age, so much has changed in terms of student expectations in higher education, and veterinary school is certainly not an exception,” said Lockyer. “These are all areas we’re focused on moving forward.”
Student voices are vital to the process. And Bruno’s team now meets monthly with student representatives to hear what’s working and what needs refining in terms of policies, procedures, and communication.
Additionally, the Office of Admissions and Student Life is reimagining pivotal milestones, like commencement. Come summer 2023, orientation will start in the summer, with online sessions for students, parents, and partners. Once on campus, students will enjoy more interactional activities to get to know each other, faculty, staff, the city, and so much more.
In With the New—And the Old
Taking an “out with what doesn’t work, in with what does” attitude, Bruno and Lockyer are also starting to reintegrate popular long-standing traditions into the post-pandemic new normal as they create new ones.
Students participate in an obstetrics wet lab sponsored by
the Reproduction Club.
“Students have spent the last few years communicating more by text and other technologies than in person, and we want to reinforce the value of out-of-class bonding,” said Lockyer. “We love hearing about the many activities that grew the culture here — SAVMA Auction, Skit Night, and chili cook-offs are a few — and look forward to building on what made student life so special pre-pandemic.”
Nicastro applauds the effort and responsiveness to student suggestions, particularly ideas from his classmates. The Class of 2024’s first academic year at Penn Vet was during the height of the pandemic when everything was virtual. They missed out on Parents & Partners Day, a weekend event when loved ones peek into the life of a veterinary student.
“We had the idea of appending V’24’s Parents & Partners in-person event onto our November 2022 White Coat Ceremony and took it to Claire and Meredith two weeks before the ceremony,” Nicastro said. “Everyone really came through and put together a great gathering for our class. It was a real indication of just how important the student experience is to the School.”
“If there’s a need, or a desire, to enhance the Penn Vet student experience, we’ll consider it,” Lockyer said. “Nothing is off the table for discussion if it helps students thrive and succeed.”