This veterinary student is passionate to stay in the Amarillo area and help serve the veterinary needs of companion animals.
Kirrah Strong was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas. Helping animals has always been part of Strong's nature as the human-animal bond has played such an important role in her life.
“Growing up, animals were a constant in my life,” Strong said. “My dad worked at a
local feedlot where I got to go visit the cattle as a kid. Also, my little brother
has autism, and he would do therapy with horses.”
“We always had a variety of pets such as dogs, birds, stray cats, and even a tarantula. They were part of our family. As long as I can remember, animals played a very important role in our lives, and I knew I wanted to work with them in some capacity.”
Strong's journey first led her and her husband along with their daughter to Midland, Texas, where she attended and graduated from Midland College's veterinary technology program. For the past 10 years, she has worked as a licensed veterinary technician.
Eventually, they moved back to the Amarillo area where she worked at a small animal clinic in Canyon, Texas. As soon as she heard that Texas Tech University's School of Veterinary Medicine was coming to Amarillo, she knew it was her chance to take the next step in her journey and become a veterinarian.
Now from veterinary technician to becoming a veterinarian, Strong's passion is to educate her clients, play a role in her community and serve the veterinary needs of the Amarillo area. Let's get to know Kirrah Strong through a series of questions.
What are you passionate about in veterinary medicine?
My professional background is in companion animal medicine. However, I like working with all types of animals. I worked at a small animal hospital in Canyon, Texas, where we are the only clinic in the town. I noticed that “companion animal” is transforming beyond just dogs and cats. Many people have exotic pets, and more and more people are adopting small ruminants and pigs as pets. I'm interested in cultivating the human-animal bond to be an option for clients that have these types of pets.
What are some life experiences that led you to that passion?
Working in a variety of different small animal clinics, it is always so exciting when something other than a dog or cat walks through the door. While working at the small animal clinic in Canyon, I remember there was one day in particular when we saw a goat, a pig, an iguana, and a duck all in one day! To me this is what makes veterinary medicine so fun and interesting. I quickly learned that in rural medicine, you never know what you are going to see day in or day out. I just thought about how great it would be if that happened every day.
What inspires you to pursue what you love to do every day?
My family, my work family and clients, and my friends and former teachers from technician school inspire me every day. They are all rooting for me and it's wonderful to have the support. My husband and daughter are my biggest cheerleaders and sacrifice so much for me to be here. They take care of me and push me to do my best. I hope my journey to be a veterinarian will make my daughter proud and inspire her to pursue her goals no matter the circumstances.
How do you plan to go back and help your community?
Amarillo is home and I plan to stay here near family and return to the clinic I worked at in Canyon. I intend to stay with small animals, but hopefully I can also gain experience with exotics and small ruminants. That is my plan for now, however, I'm open to different paths that life may take me on.
Another passion of mine is veterinary technology. While I was in the technician program in Midland, I really looked up to the veterinarians and technicians that taught us. I hope in the future, I could be a part of a veterinary technology program here in Amarillo. I want to get as many people in the community involved in veterinary medicine as possible. Behind every veterinarian are great technicians supporting them. Well-trained, educated technicians can make all the difference in any local veterinary business.
I also want to get the youth involved as well. In the past, I've been involved with high school veterinary programs and the Girl Scouts. Caring for animals is therapeutic for kids and it can be a lot of fun for them to learn about animal care. I would have loved it if programs like that were offered when I was growing up.
Why did you choose Texas Tech? 
We are a Red Raider family and always have been. My husband is from Lubbock and attended Texas Tech University. I lived there with him some time ago and we went to games as often as we could.
So, of course, I was so excited to learn that Texas Tech was going to build here in Amarillo! Texas Tech's School of Veterinary Medicine's presence here is awesome for our community. The timing of the opening was just perfect for my family and me. The core values mirror the same values my family and I have, specifically, community and grit.
What was your reaction when you got the call that you were accepted to Texas Tech
University's School of Veterinary Medicine? 
It seemed like a while before I heard from anyone, so I started to get worried at first. While I was at work performing a dental cleaning on a cat, my phone rang. I get a lot of spam calls so I hadn't been answering my phone.
However, this number was from Lubbock, so I decided to answer in case it was a family member. To my surprise it was Dr. John Dascanio, senior associate dean for academic and student affairs, calling to inform me that I was accepted and he had been trying a while to get a hold of me! I was ecstatic.
Because it had been so long, I figured I didn't make the cut. Turns out, I was accidentally avoiding his phone calls! I had a new phone and hadn't set up the voicemail. After we got off the phone and I recovered the cat from anesthesia, I checked my voicemail to find he had left quite a few messages trying to get in contact with me. This was such an exciting day that my co-workers and I celebrated.
What are your favorite things to do outside of school?
My time outside of school is dedicated to my family. My daughter is a cheerleader at her high school and also plays in a competitive soccer league. Most of my time is either spent at her high school events or in Plano where her soccer games are.
This keeps us pretty busy, but honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love watching her in whatever it is she's doing. I also enjoy catching up with my friends when I have a little free time.