Humans of Gettysburg Madison Caldwell ‘18 Health Sciences Major, Biology and Chemistry Minor
By Madison Caldwell
One of the best experiences I have had during my time at Gettysburg College was, ironically, not at Gettysburg. During the summer of my sophomore year, I was accepted to participate in an externship provided by Gettysburg. Thanks to alum Dr. Gregory Lewbart, for one week I was able to travel to North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine to shadow and participate in veterinary procedures. I spent half of my time with the “Turtle Rescue Team” providing hands-on medical treatments to injured box, water, and snapping turtles and the other half of my time shadowing Dr. Lewbart and other exotic animal veterinarians. I had the opportunity to witness once-in-a-lifetime events including an endoscopic hook removal surgery from a loggerhead sea turtle. This was by far one of the best and most influential experiences of my life and has pushed me to continue pursuing my dream of veterinary medicine.
