First and foremost, I would like to thank the AETA leadership and members for sponsoring this student opportunity. I am honored to be part of an organization that prioritizes its student members. Over the past few years, I have gained experience in many aspects of embryo transfer and worked with a handful of professionals who have helped me to create a solid foundation for a career. This time pushed me to think outside the box and set big goals for myself. When applying for the student scholarship, I had two main goals: to learn as much as I could while building on my foundational knowledge and to create new relationships.
My experience at the 2022 AETA conference exceeded my expectations and has only continued to foster my passion for the embryo transfer industry. The knowledge I gained will stick with me, and it brought to light new opportunities. For example, the purpose of beef on dairy and the use of recombinant FSH, particularly its benefit in small ruminant work. I also particularly enjoyed the “Student and Technician” session presented by Dr. Tyler Dohlman and Marianna Jahnke. This session allowed me to pinpoint a few next steps for starting as a practitioner. The tips and tricks discussed allowed me to connect some of the basic skills of conventional flush procedures to the more advanced topics presented at the other sessions.
Most importantly, I took the opportunity to connect with practitioners around the country, which allowed me to gather wisdom usually only gained through experience and collect a variety of insights on embryo transfer. I got to reconnect with old mentors at the preconference social while learning the ins and outs of betting on horses at Churchill Downs, and fostered new relationships at the banquet the following night. I also want to acknowledge the mentors at the student–mentor lunch. Their advice was invaluable, as they helped to alleviate a worry of mine: how to build clinic/client confidence in your skill set as a new graduate. I want to personally thank everyone who took the time to talk to me and share their advice; it is truly invaluable. It was also intriguing to meet with students who shared my interests and see how everyone’s paths are so dramatically different, but all converge in the same direction. These conversations allowed me to acknowledge that there are many paths to success.
This experience has truly given me the inspiration I needed to move forward through earning my DVM and starting a career. After getting to see the camaraderie of such a passionate group of people, I left the conference feeling reinvigorated, and with new questions I want to investigate. My first experience at the annual conference was extremely positive, and I look forward to attending in the future as an active member.
Brittany Truax
The Ohio State University
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