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I’m a city kid,” said David Arias ’16, LVT, DVM. “I’d never been out of the five boroughs before I went to Mercy College.” Arias travelled to Belize twice as an undergraduate veterinary technology student and says it cemented his choice of profession as a veterinarian and his connection to the environment and love of the rainforest with all its attendant wildlife. “I saw how hard the locals worked to keep wildlife going,” he says. “I sat through lectures, through treatments, and I spent a fair amount of time under water. That was amazing because I didn’t know how to swim! I had to challenge myself to get out of the boat and get down there.”

It was all under the watchful eye of Mercy professors and local coordinators, who he says were very protective about all the students, constantly communicating their passion for local wildlife.

Sabrina Timperman, DVM, associate director and associate professor of veterinary technology, notes, “Seeing wildlife such as iguanas, agouties and coatimundis in their natural environment gives our students a greater and deeper understanding of how these animals fit into their local ecosystem and how that ecosystem then fits into the more global environment. Second, by witnessing firsthand the richness of this geographical region, they gain an appreciation for the need for conservation efforts locally as well as around the globe. Third, they have the opportunity to practice their clinical skills. Observing, evaluating and critically thinking about a case are all skills which they will later need to perform when they are working in the field back home.”

To read the full Maverick Magazine article, "David Arias ’16, LVT, DVM, Transformed by First Trip Overseas with Mercy," please click . 

To read the full fall 2022 Maverick Magazine, please click .