I was provided with the amazing opportunity to interview Dr. Yava Jones-Hall, an Associate Professor and Director of the Core Histology Lab at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science. Dr. Jones-Hall went through undergrad schooling and obtained her BA from Talladega College and earned her DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine, two historically Black colleges in Alabama. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Pathology from Michigan State University and completed a veterinary pathology residency. She is now also board certified in veterinary pathology (DACVP). She has held her position at Texas A&M since 2019, after being recruited by the Department Head, who was also her department head when employed at Purdue University, prior to joining Texas A&M.
When asked what the most challenging part of her experience during veterinary school was, she explained that the hardest part is the workload. She recommended that I really hone my time management skills and avoid cramming. She also advised me to take some study management classes and figure out what works best for me in a study routine. She also really focused on the importance of experience. Interaction and experience in the veterinary field was something that she didn’t have much of going into veterinary school, and she wished in hindsight that she had more, because it makes your application much stronger and helps prepare you. She recommended that I seek out experience beforehand, such as summer experiences, which were very helpful to her in gaining experience and realizing that she did not want to be an equine vet, as she had initially intended, but was instead very interested in pathology.
Perhaps the most helpful piece of information I gained from this interview is that I do not need a Ph.D. to be a small animal veterinary practitioner, which is what I am hoping to do as an adult. I had always been under the impression that I needed a Ph.D. to do so, but when I asked Dr. Jones-Hall about her Ph.D. program experience, she explained to me that a Ph.D. is only for research, and that I don’t need to pursue one to be a practitioner; all I need is a DVM to practice general medicine. She also explained to me that small animal medicine is very heavily saturated, and it may be harder to get jobs in that field in certain areas. Knowing this, and hearing about how she originally wanted to be an equine vet, but later changed her mind throughout the course of her education, I have become more open to the idea that I might change my mind about the field of veterinary science I want to go into, and that is 100% okay. Since I am a senior and will be graduating this year, Dr. Jones-Hall also offered me tons of helpful information about what I can do in my next couple years of undergrad schooling to help me get a leg up in experience and strengthen my application for veterinary school. She advised me to join as many clubs related to veterinary medicine as possible, and if there are none, to start my own! However, she also highlighted the importance of being well-rounded and diversifying my undergrad life by joining different clubs, sports, and trying new hobbies. She also recommended seeking out as many different veterinary experiences as I can, which will help me figure out what I do and don’t want to do – which will also strengthen my application.
Overall, Dr. Jones-Hall was a wonderful person to speak with and I learned a lot from her. She was extremely easy to talk to – I could have talked to her all day if we’d had the time! I am very grateful to have had the chance to speak to someone who has been through veterinary school and to get some guidance from someone who has experienced something similar to what I want to do. I would like to thank Dr. Yava Jones-Hall for her time and insight, as well as my Student Ambassador Mentor, Imani Dawson, and all the MBRT coordinators for providing me with this experience.
