Blog

November 2024 ABI Alum Spotlight: Jamie Nakatani

My name is Jamie Nakatani, and I graduated from UC Davis in 2012 with a major in Animal Biology and a minor in Entomology. After college I worked in the zoo field for several years, starting as an animal care volunteer, progressing to a paid zookeeper, then earning an Associate of Science degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management from Moorpark College in 2016. During my time in that program, I realized I was primarily drawn to the older animals or those with interesting medical issues and spent as much time with the veterinary staff as I could.

November 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Stella Winn

Hi! My name is Stella Winn and I’m an ABI major in my third year. I’m also pursuing a Nematology minor. I’ve been obsessed with animals for pretty much my entire life. I currently have two cats, a leopard gecko, and a couple fish. I’ve always wanted to go to vet school ever since my mom gave me a book of all the dog breeds for my kindergarten graduation.

October 2024 ABI Alum Spotlight: Tahmina Tasmim

My name is Tahmina and I graduated from UC Davis in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Biology and was also in the University Honors Program. I am a first generation college student, and having to navigate higher education was a significant challenge for me. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to work with animals and eventually become a veterinarian. I chose to pursue the Animal Biology major because I wanted to challenge myself to participate in research and form connections with my peers and faculty.

October 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Courtney Tai

Hello hello! My name is Courtney Tai and I’m a third year ABI student. I currently serve as the Vice President of the Vet Aide Club and the club has immensely increased my opportunities to enhance technical skills and explore internship opportunities in the area. I also work at the ARC so come say hi! 
 

 

 

May 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Ariana Hosseini

Hi everyone! My name is Ariana Hosseini, and I am a fourth-year Animal Biology major. My time at UC Davis has been incredibly rewarding, as I've had the chance to explore the intricate connections between the environment, animals, and humans, and how these factors influence human health.

April 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Elizabeth Liu

Hello everyone! My name is Elizabeth Liu and I’m a 3rd year ABI student. Through my time at UC Davis, I’ve interned at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Costa Rica and got to work with exotic animals like sloths and kinkajous as part of a study abroad program. I’ve also led the halter breaking internship with the dairy cows as a student coordinator, for the Dairy Cattle Judging contest as part of FFA Field Day. There, I learned how to handle, halter break, and groom the cows.

March 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Kobe Goliman

Hello everyone, my name is Kobe Goliman and I am a fourth-year Animal Biology student with a minor in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. I grew up in Indonesia for 15 years before moving to California just before starting high school. My interest in studying wildlife stems from my lack of exposure to them growing up, which led to an interest in studying them. I picked UC Davis because of its excellent reputation in wildlife studies, as well as due to its proximity to my family living in California.

February 2024 ABI Alum Spotlight: Iris Rivas

Hi! I’m Iris Rivas and I graduated from the UC Davis Animal Biology program in Spring 2022. I continue to progress professionally and academically since graduation as a Junior Specialist at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. I utilized what I learned at UC Davis and turned my profession into my hobby.

February 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Nicole Richardson

Hello, ABI students! My name is Nicole Richardson, I am a 5th year Animal Biology major. In my time as a UC Davis undergraduate student, I have been able to capitalize on some amazing opportunities working with wildlife! I was lucky enough to intern at an exotic feline breeding facility and work with 60 exotic cats of 19 different breeds ranging from Malaysian Tigers to Pallas Cats (look them up, they are hilarious and adorable). As an ABI major, and with the help of Dr.

January 2024 ABI Alum Spotlight: Lauren Ober

My name is Lauren Ober. I graduated UC Davis with a B.S. in Animal Biology in Fall 2021 and an M.S. in Nutritional Biology in Spring 2023! When I found ABI, I felt I could truly explore my passion for Animal Nutrition and share the experience with other undergrads with similar passions.

January 2024 ABI Student of the Month: Lyra Ma

Hello, everyone! My name is Lyra Ma. I am a senior student majoring in Animal Biology. I am always interested in animals in general. My experiences working in the aquarium led me to at UC Davis and major in Animal Biology. ABI major gave me the opportunity to explore various animal-related fields, including caring for laboratory animals, working with horses, and participating in research. Besides hands-on experiences, I can take many animal-related courses outside my major.
 

May 2023 ABI Student of the Month: Rheanna Adams

Hi, everyone. My name is Rheanna Adams. I am a fourth-year Animal Biology student with a Psychology minor. I am originally from the small rural community of Trinity County in Northern California, which greatly influenced my curiosity and inquiry to study in agriculture and environmental sciences. I am currently assisting in Dr. Connon’s Lab and learning about ecotoxicology. My focus for my practicum project is aimed at assessing the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone in the Bay-Delta on multiple species of juvenile and larvae fish.

April 2023 ABI Student of the Month: Maria Peshkoff

Hello, everyone! My name is Maria Peshkoff and I am a fourth-year animal Biology major.

I knew from an early age that I wanted to attend UC Davis, but I also knew my journey to get there would not be easy. After attending community college for five years, I transferred to UC Davis as an Animal Biology major.

March 2023 ABI Student of the Month: Delanie Craighead

Hi! I am Delanie Craighead, and I am a fourth-year Animal Biology major and Medical Entomology minor. I've always loved animals, but learned in high school that my favorite are camelids! I currently work as a ranch hand for a veterinarian where I help take care of her animals, including alpacas, and work at the goat barn, where I used to be a resident. In the future, I want to work as a wildlife biologist or in a lab focusing on camelids.

February 2023 ABI Student of the Month: Raaghav Saxena

Hello, everybody! My name is Raaghav Saxena, and I'm a fifth-year Animal Biology major. I grew up for about half of my life in the southeast of the United States, where my love for nature and wildlife specifically developed. That is why I chose this major; to be able to understand and potentially care for the animals that I have seen in the wild throughout my life, and to make sure that future generations may continue to see them. My time at UC Davis has allowed me to work with birds at Meyer Hall, turtles in the Arboretum, and livestock at a ranch in Vacaville.