Cypress Creek High School 2021 graduates Mikala Owen, left, and Blake Schmaeling completed their Certified Veterinary Assistant Level II certification. The accomplishment finishes a yearlong journey in which the two worked around COVID-19 limitations to complete clinical hours and studies.
Aug. 16, 2021—Cypress Creek High School graduates Mikala Owen and Blake Schmeling completed their Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA) Level II certification, finishing a yearlong journey in which the two worked around COVID-19 limitations and hurdles to complete their clinical hours and studies.
Part of CFISD’s career and technical education (CTE) curriculum, the certified veterinary assistant program gives participating students the opportunity to earn their Level I and Level II certifications while completing courses in high school. Through the Texas Veterinary Medical Association, the program includes hands-on laboratory instruction, live demonstrations, field work, internships and other interactive learning activities.
Applicants for certifications must be at least 16 years old to test.
Owen and Schmeling earned their CVA Level I certification in August 2020, with both then committing to work toward Level II despite limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They knew they wanted to be veterinarians,” Cypress Creek agriculture science teacher Kaci Tovar said. “They just didn’t know how to get to it. So that’s our job—showing them the steps whether it’s volunteering or getting a job at a clinic.”
Due to COVID-19, many veterinary clinics weren’t taking volunteers. Instead, Owen and Schmeling, had to find jobs to complete their hours.
“Time is the biggest hurdle,” Tovar said. “Not only do you have to hold Level I, but you have to hold Level I for six months. Basically, in order to get Level II, you have to complete Level I your junior year in order to get to Level II by you senior year. They have to be committed by their sophomore year of high school if this is what they want to do.”
To complete the 1,000 hours of practical work experience needed under direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian or veterinary technician, both Owen and Schmeling worked at area veterinary hospitals. Schmeling worked at Northwest Animal Hospital under Dr. Molly O’Bannion, while Owen worked at Lakewood Forest Veterinary Hospital under Dr. Sylvia Borland.
Cypress Creek High School graduate Mikala Owen worked at Lakewood Forest Veterinary Hospital under Dr. Sylvia Borland to complete 1,000 hours required to help her earn the Certified Veterinary Assistant Level II certification.
“Getting these certifications here at Cypress Creek will give me a jump-start going into college,” said Schmeling, who is attending Texas Tech University this fall. “I’ve been able to personally work with livestock in the veterinary field. Having that underlying knowledge of livestock and other types of animals gives you a head start. You’re able to go into your classes—especially in a pre-vet program where everything is a bit more challenging—and have that baseline knowledge where you can be ahead of the game.”
To help cover the costs of certification exams, Owen and Schmeling successfully applied for grants through Cy-Hope.
“There’s one coworker who’s trying to get this certification or something similar and when I talk to her, she tells me how she wished she could have done this in high school,” said Owen, who will attend Texas A&M University. “We were able to get a couple-hundred hours in class and she’s now having to do that at a clinic and get other people to help her whereas I can just walk into class and have my teachers help me. It definitely helped being able to get this now instead of starting my career without it.”
Tovar said she received positive feedback from both animal hospitals. Owen and Schmeling proved to be capable staff members, opening the possibility of more students following the same path.
“I’ve loved the last two years working in my clinic,” Owen said. “You really learn about the career and industry, so if you decide that’s something you don’t want to do, you learn now instead of 10 years from now.”
Cypress Creek High School graduate Blake Schmaeling worked at Northwest Animal Hospital under Dr. Molly O’Bannion to complete 1,000 hours required to help her earn the Certified Veterinary Assistant Level II certification.
Said Dr. Mike Hicks of Fairfield Animal Hospital, who is another area veterinarian working with students from the CFISD animal science program: “We hire a lot of agriculture students as employees and have been very pleased with their knowledge when they enter our hospital and what they already know. They are typically easier to train.”
The Certified Veterinary Assistant certification is one of more than 70 certification opportunities available to students in CFISD. For more information, please visit cfisd.net/CTE.
