Alumni

Stories from Pierce College Agricultural Alumni

From One of Pierce's First Graduates to go on to a graduate school of veterinary medicine:

"I had the distinction of becoming the first Pierce alumni to become a veterinarian, with Dick La Rue following me three years later.

I entered one of the first classes at Pierce, and there were only male students at the time. It became coeducational and had only 375 students during my last year. Until I went there I had never heard the word "veterinarian," and was greatly influenced by the veterinarian that treated the Pierce farm animals. I grew up during the depression years, and our animals were raised as Christian Scientists. Ever since I can remember we raised chickens, and during W.W. II, rabbits in our back yard and slaughtered them for food. At a young age I learned the meaning of the expression "Running around like a chicken with its head chopped off." I remember when registering at Pierce for my last semester, telling my councilor and classmates that I had decided to become a veterinarian. The general response was "Yea, right! You better finish up and get your degree here so as to have something to fall back on." That was my wake up call, when I decided I had better start studying, which I did and was accepted to the U. C. School of Veterinary Medicine on my first application. It was my experiences at Pierce that made this possible. I became a veterinary pathologist, and the San Diego County Veterinarian and Director of the San Diego County Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory until my retirement. The pre-vet program and experience at Pierce is unique. It has obtained an excellent national reputation, the gratitude of your graduates, and is an outstanding credit to the school. I received my degree in Dairy Production. My degree was the main reason I was accepted to veterinary school. The management practices I learned at Pierce were a great help to me in my professional career."
Dr. Hubert C. Johnstone (San Diego County veterinarian)
May 27, 2007

"I grew up in a tract house in Santa Monica. I had no exposure to farm animals until coming to Pierce College. I took dairy and swine classes. I milked the cows and had a swine project. This experience got me a job with the USDA and eventually opened the door to veterinary medicine. I did not have adequate study skill preparation in high school. The Pierce Farm Faculty taught me how to study, how to work hard. Pierce gave me the experience that got me into vet school."
Dr. Robert Pollard (one of the top llama veterinarians in the United States).

"I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Upon graduation from high school I was not very focused in regard to my future educational goals. I had an interest in veterinary medicine, but did not have the grades to attend the University of California. I spent two years at Pierce and took numerous classes in the Ag. Program and worked on the farm crew. My experiences in the Ag. Program and the farm crew gave me the incentive and determination to produce on the academic side. In 1976 I became the first food animal resident at U.C. Davis. I would hate to see those opportunities that I had at Pierce College be denied to those youngsters who may need the same type of help that I found there when I needed it. All those years ago, it was much more rural than it is now. That makes it even more important to have the agricultural land and the livestock available to stimulate those young minds to pursue careers in agriculture. I currently own and operate a solo large animal veterinary practice as well as a commercial sheep/farming enterprise in Buhl, Idaho."
Dr. Barry E. Duelke, Sheep veterinarian, Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine

"I attended a number of agriculture classes at Pierce College. I also did a lot of volunteer work at the dairy. I credit the pre-veterinary experience I obtained at Pierce with helping me gain admission to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Today I am teaching and conducting research in companion animal epidemiology here."
Dr. Kenneth A. Bruecker, Veterinary Epidemiologist, UC Davis

"I attended Pierce in 1983-86 and feel I got a great education especially for a transfer student to UCD. I graduated from vet school in 1993. If there is anything I can do to help in saving the Ag programs please let me know."
Dr. Debbie Chew, Corning Veterinary Clinic, Corning, CA

I determined that a career as a vet was for me. My experience at Pierce was a defining point in my life.Without the ability to enroll in Farm Classes at Pierce, city-bred kids, like myself, cannot get the exposure to farm and livestock work while searching for a career. I owe much to Pierce.

Because of Pierce, I have had a long association with sheep and their various problems, and have felt quite comfortable working with the wild species of sheep. I often think back to the Sheep Production lectures in the old Quonset hut classrooms, and the experience of working with sheep up on the hill at the old sheep pens. My knowledge of farm animals gained at the Pierce Farm was a big factor in my acceptance into the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. I had no farm experience whatsoever when graduating from Manual Arts High School in South Central Los Angeles. My visits to the L.A. County Fair made me determined to work in Agriculture or with domestic animals in some way. I enrolled in Livestock Production at Pierce. I worked on the Farm Crew and watched and assisted in treatments on the Pierce Farm Animals.

The fine teachers that we had at Pierce stimulated my interest in a variety of species of animals. I became determined to have a career as a "vet". After serving in the Army, I entered UC Davis and graduated with a degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. My career has been primarily as a small animal veterinarian, but my "avocation" has been working with biologists and other researchers in the diseases and population dynamics of Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis).

In 1982, I was honored to be the founding president of the Bighorn Institute. I have served as Chairman of the Wildlife and Zoo Committee of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association. At present, I am a member of the board of directors at Bighorn Institute and serve as veterinary advisor to that organization.

I will always love the Farm at Pierce.

Note: Dr. Jenner grew up in South Central Los Angeles and is a graduate of Manual Arts High School. Pierce College Farm gave Dr. Jenner the opportunity to pursue a career in both small and larger animal medicine.

I am a graduate, of what was in 1986, the Animal Health Technology program. From my earliest memories I had dreams of being a horse rancher and a veterinarian. Well, my life took a less than direct route. The summer of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles I got advice from a beloved uncle that renewed my faith in possibilities, and sent me searching for training that could get me into the veterinary field. I found Pierce College. I lived in Torrance, California at the time and the commute to Woodland Hills was long. Still, I transferred from Cal State Long Beach, where I had almost completed my degree in Biology, to Pierce, where I graduated three semesters later.

I was in heaven. Not only was I learning and performing in a field I had dreamed about; I also spent my days in the company of animals. In April of 1986, just before I graduated, an opportunity came up to work at the swine unit under Bill Lander. He was a tough guy to catch. I had to be very persistent, even getting an interview of sorts "on the run". I got the job, moved into my room at the barn and lived a virtually idyllic life for another year and a half. I loved my dual life, working in an emergency hospital in Santa Monica, and working on the farm with the big animals. I continued to take classes, placing attention on horses. I even got to enjoy the privilege of having use of one of the school horses my last summer there, Eagle, an almost appaloosa. Up early @ 5:00 am (ugh! The pigs insured this), feed pigs and horses, riding lessons at 6:00, clean the barn, go to classes, walk the nature trail at least once a day.

Life was GOOD! I hated to leave. Pierce was like a dream island for me where I got to do those things I had longed to do, but doubted I'd be able to living in one of the largest and most congested cities in the world. What I learned there 13 years ago (has it been that long already?) I still use to accomplish goals today. Pierce College gave me a start on the road I had long wanted to travel. God bless God that Pierce College still stands and that the opportunity still exists for others who share my same dreams. God bless all the staff and faculty who have worked to make it grow so that the possibilities survive. Thank you very much. It's wonderful to be able to reconnect like this.
Marjee F. Zeier

It's tough to convey how much Pierce College has meant to me. A couple of years ago I was stuck in a career I didn't like, wanting more than anything to follow my original dream of becoming a veterinarian. I had attended another local community college, but they really had no clue about veterinary school or the requirements to get in. I heard about Pierce from a friend who was going through the vet tech program and decided to check it out. I met with Dr. Shapiro and for the first time I had someone who could tell me exactly what I needed to do, and that I could do it if I put my mind to it. I had only heard from people that it was nearly impossible to get into vet school. Doc was very supportive and was able to lay everything out on the table. It was also through Doc's classes that I began to take an interest in dairy cows, and he encouraged me to apply to Cal Poly SLO and go for a degree in Dairy Science. So…after I finished my pre-vet classes at Pierce, I applied and was accepted to Cal Poly. Thanks to Pierce College and Dr. Shapiro, I'm half way through my first year at Cal Poly already, and will graduate in the spring of 2002 with a degree in Dairy Science. I am also applying to vet school this year for entrance in the fall of 2002. I am told that I stand a very good chance of being admitted and finally fulfilling my dream! It's a great feeling, and I will always owe so much to Pierce College and especially to the farm, where I was able to have contact with a lot of animals I never would have been able to handle otherwise. The support system was great, from faculty on down to fellow students. I love Cal Poly, but I'll always miss the farm (at Pierce College)!
Dr. Aubrey Berridge, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2006. Dr. Berridge is currently practicing equine veterinary medicine on the Iowa Illinois border.

The instructors were very approachable and the facilities gave tremendous experience.

From time to time it is healthy and hopefully enjoyable to look back on important decisions which positively influenced your life. It is even more enjoyable to look back on decisions and realize that some, often too few, were brilliant choices.

One of my better decisions was to attend Los Angeles Pierce College and involve myself with the activities and course work found in the Agriculture department.

My experience with the school farm consumed the first 19 years of my life. My father was the beef herdsman in the glory days of the farm. When I was young, the school farm had neighboring farms on the Western border and was a perfect fit for the San Fernando Valley's mix of suburbia and California agriculture.

As the population pressure changed the valley, the school farm was an icon of the yesteryears of the beautiful valley once filled with farms of all commodities. The school farm became a refuge for those seeking something unique and the ability to receive hands-on experience from some of the best, dedicated and giving instructors available.

Growing up on the farm provided me with exposure to many different avenues of agriculture. My emphasis and love was found in the livestock end of the agriculture industry. I had great exposure to the veterinary and production sciences. This exposure assisted me in making my decision to continue an Agriculture Business major at Brigham Young University. The hands-on experience at Pierce gave me tremendous advantage over students who had to learn agriculture from a more formal setting. The quality of education while on the Pierce farm is above any I have experienced or observed at other places of education.

Since graduation from Brigham Young University I have worked in the agriculture field with Farm Credit, a bank lending money to farmers. I work with farmers growing a wide variety of products on the Central Coast of California. I gained a strong understanding of agriculture from my experiences at Pierce College that enables me to prudently discuss and make decisions with farmers, no matter what their agriculture emphasis may be. Agriculture all speaks the same language, however it must be learned by hand-on experience.

I am truly grateful I had wonderful experiences at the Pierce farm. The farm attracted great fellow students whose friendships I cherished. The farm has also attracted dedicated instructors who care about the continuance of agriculture in the San Fernando Valley and who care about the students with similar goals.
Tom Gulliver, Vice-President and Branch Manager of Farm Credit Bank, Santa Maria, California. Tom was born and raised on the Pierce College Farm. His father, Vic was Pierce's first beef herdsman and Farm Manager.

Dr. Shapiro is the individual on the left. The veterinarian on the right milked cows at Pierce's dairy in 1990. She graduated from Mississippi State University Veterinary School in 1994. Anyone want to guess who Dr. ____ is?

It is a shame that Pierce College, the only local resource, is being replaced by non-farming enterprises. How is the valley expected to inspire future animal doctors and expose them to their required experiences?

I am currently a second year vet student at the University College Dublin (UCD). As per our curriculum we need to spend two weeks gathering farm experience (not vet experience) during our first two years of school. I ended up having to stay and complete all of my animal experience in Ireland because of the difficulty I encountered in finding any large animal farms in the Los Angeles area. The nearest place that I know of where it is possible to gather cow experience is Tulare, quite a trip from the valley. While looking for pig experience I found only one unit that had more than a few pigs. As per my course requirements there were too few pigs on the unit to satisfy my experience requirements. For pre-vet students and vet-students looking for large animal experience the LA area and more specifically the valley, both locations come up dry.

This untenable situation makes what is already an uphill battle, namely the application process and qualifying for vet school requirements, something that is even more difficult to accomplish. We as a community need to be concerned with supporting others in this community. Bring back the Pierce Farm!

While attending Pierce College as a pre-vet student I found as interest working with poultry. I started with raising egg laying birds in the poultry unit. From there I got some more experience by volunteering at the U.C Davis diagnostic labratory in San Bernardino, helping with chicken necropsies. I then did a three month internship at Foster Farms learning about turkey production. I was also lucky enough to do a research project with the USDA at Pierce College helping with the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease, For the past two years I have been working on a Masters in poultry nutrition at the University of Minnesota and will be starting vet school at Ross University in the Carribean in May.

My goal after vet school is to do a residency in poultry medicine and become a poultry veterinarian for a big poultry company such as Foster Farms or Tyson Foods.

Claude Hebron, former Pierce Pre-Vet Club President, Ross University Veterinary College, Class of 2010

Hey Doc!

I must say that pretty much everything I know about ruminants I learned from you, and it helped so much when I was working at the State Fair in Sacramento! Perhaps when you're telling your students why they might need to know a bunch of production animal factoids and statistics, let them know those will come in handy if they decide to work the fair!

In case you're not aware yet, after students accept their offer of admission at Davis, they will be offered a short-term paid job opportunity working at the state fair before classes start. This is an excellent way to jump start your veterinary experience, because once classes start, there aren't a whole lot of hands-on animal experiences for the first 2 years. In the livestock nursery, I spent a lot of time educating the public on swine production (which I knew nothing about prior to taking your classes) and the care and management of livestock animals. I had to recall all those dairy cattle and goat statistics and breeds etc. for the milking demonstrations we put on for the public, and the whole time I was remembering your classes. I guess I didn't know how much I had learned about livestock until I found myself comfortably explaining production, physiology, and common diseases to my coworkers and the fair-goers.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for preparing me so well for veterinary school. I hope that someday I will pass on that favor to those following in my footsteps. The Pierce pre-vet program has been really one of my best experiences so far!
Sincerely,
Kelly Baxter
UC Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine
Class of 2011

The Pierce College pre-veterinary program is an amazing program that not only helped me immensely in the preparation for veterinary school, but also provided me with an amazing mentor, Dr. Shapiro, who provided the guidance and motivation that I needed to help me achieve my goals.

My two years at LAPC allowed me to gain invaluable large animal experience (cattle, sheep, goats, llama, alpaca, pigs, and poultry), which I otherwise would not have gotten. Now that I am in veterinary school I am able to put these priceless skills to use. I am forever grateful to Dr. Shapiro for not letting me give up on my dream when "the going got tough."
Giselle Pomeranc, Western University Class of 2011

Dr. Shane Nelson, Pierce alumnus 2004-2006, is pictured here in Nicaragua during January 2010 as a veterinary student volunteer practitioner with Rural Area Veterinary Services. The photo follows the completion of her first enucleation (eye removal) surgery in a horse. Dr. Nelson, a recent doctoral graduate of the veterinary medicine program at UC Davis, is currently completing a year-long internship in equine medicine and surgery at West Coast Equine in Somis, CA. Following her internship, she plans to practice equine ambulatory medicine in Southern California. She considers the two years of preparatory coursework at LA Pierce College an absolute necessity for securing admission to veterinary school, and when combined with hard work, sacrifice and perseverance it allowed her to attain her lifelong goal of becoming an equine veterinarian. The quality of guidance and support, challenging coursework, advanced laboratory experience, and opportunities for veterinary-related experience at both the Pierce Farm and private veterinary hospitals in the area is unparalleled; no other school comes close, especially not for the price. She would personally like to thank Dr. Leland Shapiro for his guidance and assistance when she was a student there. She explains, "The road to a DVM is long and windy and it's easy to get lost along the way, but attending Pierce significantly aids navigation making the route easy to follow if one brings the appropriate horsepower."