BLINN CELEBRATES 14 VETERINARY TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM GRADS
Fourteen graduates of the Blinn College District Veterinary Technology Program were honored Wednesday, May 7, at a pinning ceremony at the Blinn-Brenham Student Center.
Technology Program who were pinned were (front,
from left) Maggie Coyle, Kaitlynn O’Quinn,
Stephanie White, Megan Wilson, Kynlee Hall,
Lizbeth Granados, and Michelle Emily Nielsen; and
(back, from left) Sam Dolezal, Riley Ellebracht, Kenna
Killough, Autumn Teach, Layla Alkowatli, Sydney
Jones, and Jourdan Begnaud.
(courtesy Blinn College)
Students honored for completion of the program were Layla Alkowatli, College Station; Maggie Coyle, Galveston; Samantha Dolezal, Austin; Riley Ellebracht, Fredericksburg; Lizbeth Granados, Rosharon; Kynlee Hall, East Bernard; Sydney Jones, Bryan; Kenna Killough, Sealy; Michelle Nielsen, Novata, Calif.; Kaitlynn O’Quinn, Franklin; Stephanie White, Houston; Megan Wilson, Franklin; Jourdan Begnaud, Corsicana; and Autumn Teach, College Station.
“This group has shown remarkable individual growth, with each member pushing themselves out of their comfort zones and mastering skills they once thought were unattainable,” said Program Director Jessica Garza. “Their mutual support has been a key factor in this growth, with several students honing their leadership skills. I am immensely proud and eagerly anticipate their future achievements.”
Blinn’s Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology is one of only 15 accredited programs in Texas. It prepares students to become fully credentialed licensed veterinary technicians.
With small classes and dedicated faculty, Blinn veterinary technology students benefit from the College’s partnership with the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Science & Biomedical Sciences. That relationship gives students hands-on training in every aspect of the wide-ranging field. Blinn is the only community college that has an agreement to complete laboratories and clinicals at Texas A&M’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
“It was everything I expected. There’s hurdles and challenges, but I think our director handled all of those phenomenally,” Wilson said.
The program prepares Blinn graduates for a host of animal-related fields, including veterinary clinics, animal shelters, educational institutions, government agencies, laboratories, and research facilities.
Blinn offers two pathways toward an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Veterinary Technology – a traditional two-year program in which courses and labs are completed on the Bryan Campus and its hybrid, three-year program in which courses are completed online and labs are completed on campus.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterinary technicians earn a median salary of $45,980 per year and employment is growing much faster than average.
For more information regarding the program, visit www.blinn.edu/veterinary-technology.
(Story courtesy Blinn Information)
I wonder if someone knows why we see so few Washington County participants in these Blinn College programs? They tout The salaries and some are nearing $100,000 a year– are these on the low end of what a graduate now gets from a four-year institution? There are so many people now that say college is unnecessary and a waste of money and nothing more than debt, but I don’t see any great participation in these vocational programs.
In addition to offering in-district tuition for credit courses, Blinn College offers the Washington County Scholarship, which provides up to $1,000 in tuition support for Washington County residents for up to one year after their high school graduation. You can use this scholarship for academic or career and technical courses, and it can also be applied to Blinn’s online courses or courses on any Blinn campus. To apply for the scholarship or learn more, visit http://www.blinn.edu/scholarships/washington-county.html.
So then, the official response is that education is expensive and Blinn College is going to give scholarships to encourage more local high school students and others to enroll for these programs, correct? I would like to understand from high school counselors giving career and further educational advice what they see from their students when they present these programs as alternatives to four year BA/BS degrees.