Student Profiles: Karah Alexander

While many students arrive at their summer internships in suits, heels and other dress attire, Karah Alexander, C'2015, gets to wear scrubs and sneakers as she prepares for a career in veterinary medicine.

As one of two interns at the Ark Animal Hospital in Atlanta, Alexander has already observed three surgeries, treated an ear infection of a pit bull, administered penicillin to dogs, and even "entertained" a ferret by throwing small balls and feeding it by hand. A psychology major who is focusing on animal behavior, Alexander also takes vital signs of several different species while administering anesthesia and preparing and assisting several dogs for surgical procedures.

Her days end with a lesson given like a real veterinary school class, where she observes different organisms under a microscope ranging from ringworms and tape worms to other pathogens that animals may encounter. By the end of summer, she will conduct a surgical procedure under the supervision of a veterinarian and veterinarian technician. Following veterinary school, she plans to become a zoo veterinarian.

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