Dalton Deckert’s purpose-driven mindset lands him the perfect opportunity to make a difference in veterinary medicine.
My name is Dalton Deckert, and I was born and raised in Angleton, Texas, a small Gulf Coast town south of Houston. I am blessed to be a part of an extensive farming and ranching background. Many of my classmates would agree Texas Tech University's School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo is selecting a different kind of student. The School is recruiting and selecting students like me who have deep life experiences in rural and regional communities. This different type of student has shaped our first class into what it is today.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has provided more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. Two years ago, the thought of attending Texas Tech was only a dream as I was awaiting my acceptance. Now, as a second-year veterinary student, I am extremely blessed to be 1 of 63 students making history as the inaugural class.
During my time at the School, I have been privileged with the opportunity to be the first Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) President. As president, I get to work alongside our executive board, club executive boards and students to help mold the future of the School. The job of SAVMA is to work with students to create different clubs, plan events and be the link between all year-by-year classes.
The creation of SAVMA and other organizations at the vet school has been a formidable responsibility. We are the first ones to set the rules, guidelines and traditions for decades to come. While the past year has been enjoyable, it has also had its fair share of challenges. As the first class, we did not have an example set before us; therefore, we had to actively seek advice and assistance from faculty, staff, and students as well as from other veterinary programs. We so grateful to those individuals for helping to get us on our feet. I can honestly say running for president of SAVMA has been one of the best decisions I made during my time thus far in vet school.
As I take on my second year at the School of Veterinary Medicine, the feeling is a little different. I find myself less nervous, because I can see some of the puzzle pieces coming together to create the big picture. Not only am I starting to see the bigger picture, but I am also eager to gain more hands-on experience. Starting within the first year at the School of Veterinary Medicine, clinical skills were heavily emphasized and remain a large focus throughout our veterinary education.
Over the summer, I elected to do a small animal externship where I was able to apply the skills I learned in class. This helped me realize how fortunate I am to be be at a school where I gain so much practical, hands-on experience early in veterinary school. For example, having been exposed to the basic principles of surgery allowed me to participate in many different surgeries during my externship. As we continue through this semester, our knowledge and clinical skills continue to grow. By the end of this semester, we master the skills of neutering a live dog, performing dental procedures on horses and accurately determining a cow's pregnancy status via rectal palpation. I would have never thought I would be completing these procedures in my third semester of veterinary school.
I am thankful the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine has allowed me to follow my dreams of becoming a mixed animal veterinarian to help serve rural and regional areas in Texas.