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connecting the dots Dr. Sarah Wilson retraces veterinary ventures and adventures leading to a satisfying career. Story by Anna Harris the persistence of a young girl who would one day become the lead veterinarian at the Lee Richardson Zoo and perhaps a set of worn-down parents. “They caved,” she says with a smile. On Christmas 2005, Sarah’s parents gifted her Buddy, a wonderful pony that now prances in Sarah’s extensive backyard just outside of Garden City, Kansas. Buddy can frolic on 42 acres along with two pigs, two sheep, and two dogs where Sarah resides with her fiancé, Chris. It’s not where Sarah imagined ending up. “I had no idea where Kansas was,” she says. “I had to look it up on a map.”
From Massachusetts to Kansas
Dr. Sarah Wilson’s days as a student included the creation of a summer day camp experience called Vet Med ROCKS, where she introduced campers to exoitc pets. Photo by Shelby Mettlen.
It’s a long way from Whitman, Massachusetts, to Garden City, Kansas. Animals helped span this distance for a journey that led to the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Sarah Wilson grew up with her mom, dad, younger brother and a family cat — just a cat, not a pony. But that would change through 52 | wildcatveterinarian
Dr. Wilson’s journey to becoming a veterinarian began with a biology class that combined her interests in animals and science. She credits taking advanced placement courses in high school which gave her the opportunity to explore more options while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. She deems the programs as tough — she remembers only 200 graduated out of the original 500 enrolled. When the time came to apply to veterinary schools, Sarah applied to Tufts and K-State. She expected her K-State interview to be good practice for Tufts, but what she did not expect was to be blown away and impressed with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. After a short stint on the waitlist, Dr. Wilson received a call. “One of the most exciting moments in my life was receiving that phone call telling me I was in,” she remembers. While enrolled at K-State Dr. Wilson was an on-call radiology technician and a member of the exotics club, eventually becoming the club president and fundraising chair for the shelter medicine club. She obtained a work-study position in zoological medicine with Dr. James Carpenter,
