Jordan Messier

Jordan Messier will be graduating in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Veterinary Science. A quadruplet from Coventry, Rhode Island, Jordan chose to attend UMass because of the rigorous VASCI program, the early acceptance Pre-Veterinary program with Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, the various opportunities for hands-on experience with large animals, as well as the campus and surrounding community which has become her new home. Jordan will be attending Colorado State University in the Fall to pursue her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in a mixed practice or large animal setting with special interests in theriogenology (reproduction) in small ruminants.

Growing up, Jordan always had a love for animals and knew she wanted to pursue a career working with animals. Prior to high school, Jordan volunteered at the North Kingstown Animal Shelter where she cared for the resident cats and kittens. During the summer before her senior year of high school, she volunteered at the PAAWs RI animal shelter in Warwick, RI, where she cared for the cats and kittens. At PAAWs, she cleaned cages, gave oral medication and socialized kittens in preparation for adoption. However, given her busy household and active lifestyle, participating in varsity sports in high school including soccer, basketball and outdoor track and field, she didn’t gain as much animal experience as she would have liked until she arrived at UMass.

Upon matriculating to UMass, Jordan initially planned to pursue the Pre-Veterinary program with hopes of getting into vet school to pursue small animal medicine. However, it didn’t take long for her focus to change from just small animals to both small and large animals (or even just large animals) in vet school– all thanks to the large animal opportunities offered at UMass. In the second semester of her freshman year, Jordan began working at the UMass Hadley Farm as a Livestock Barn Student Employee where she worked with and cared for Boer goats, Dorset sheep (and now the newly added Finnsheep breed!), horses, Belted Galloway beef cattle, and the pig obtained annually for teaching and learning in the Animal Science 103 course. At the Hadley Farm, Jordan learned small ruminant handling, how to administer various vaccinations and medications via different routes including, orally, drenching and injections, small ruminant nutrition, how to assist in lambings and kiddings, and other husbandry needs.

Throughout her four years working at the Hadley Farm, she has had the privilege to assist both Dr. Beltaire and Farm manager, Alice Newth, with many physical examinations, treatments and simple procedures such as placing an IV catheter. Jordan also enrolled into the Belted Galloway Beef Cattle class for two semesters where she was able to administer vaccinations to the growing calves, practice handling and showing cattle, and aid in some medical procedures including a bull-calf castration.

In her second semester, Jordan enrolled in both the Animal Science 103 and Dorset Sheep Management courses and fell in love with both the sheep and lambing. After taking the course, Jordan decided to try her hand at teaching as a Teaching Assistant for Dorset Sheep Management. She has since grown to adore teaching and has served as a Dorset Sheep Management Teaching Assistant for six semesters, becoming the head Teaching Assistant in her senior year. As a Sheep Management Teaching Assistant, she has become proficient in hoof trimming, performing fecal parasite egg tests, processing lambs, and has improved her communication and public speaking skills. Between her time as a Teaching Assistant for Sheep Management and Animal Science 103, as well as working at the Hadley Farm, Jordan has assisted in over 30 lambings,  kiddings and  farrowings. With Dr. Beltaire’s guidance in reproduction and large animal medicine, as well as with her own experiences at the farm, Jordan realized her passion for farm animals (especially the sheep!) and her interest in the topic of reproduction. She also had the unique opportunity to perform Artificial Insemination on one of the does in the Boer Goat herd at the Hadley Farm and has enrolled in the Artificial Insemination Certification course in her senior year, solidifying her passion for reproduction.

In the summer leading into her junior year, Jordan landed a job at the West Greenwich Animal Hospital in West Greenwich, RI, a local general practice veterinary clinic that caters to mostly dogs and cats, but has also seen chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters. As a Veterinary Assistant, Jordan learned how to triage and schedule different types of appointments, animal restraint for examinations and blood draws, administer medications, and how to interact and communicate with clients. More recently, she has begun training as a surgical technician, preparing dogs and cats for routine surgical procedures, monitoring the animal under anesthesia, providing after-care instructions and placing IV catheters.

Jordan has also served as a Teaching Assistant for Animal Science 103 in her junior and senior year, acting as the head Teaching Assistant in her senior year; she also served as a Teaching Assistant for Animal Science 101. In both Animal Science courses, she welcomed freshmen into the Animal Science program, provided guidance, assisted in teaching material in lab sections, and taught students the basics of small ruminant handling and husbandry. In her senior year, Jordan coached students participating in the Bay State Livestock Classic in how to care and prepare sheep for showing, while improving their small ruminant handling skills. Jordan also had the honor of serving as one of the VASCI department’s first ever student Peer Advisors. As a Peer Advisor, Jordan held office hours for other VASCI students to attend, helping them to prepare for applying to vet school, create and edit resumes, providing guidance in course registration and schedule building, and sharing advice on forming better study habits. Outside of teaching, her favorite part about serving as a Teaching Assistant and Peer Advisor was getting to know the freshmen and underclassmen and watching them build ties to the program, as well as the people in the program.

Jordan has been awarded the Chancellor’s Award Scholarship for all four years and has been named to the Dean’s List every semester with an overall GPA of 3.9. In her senior year, Jordan was also awarded the Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year Award for her work at the Hadley Farm under Barn Manager, Alice Newth and Assistant Barn Manager, Steph Puro.

Jordan would like to thank her professors and fellow students for making her time at UMass some of the best years of her life. Above all else, she wants to thank Alice Newth, Steph Puro and Dr. Beltaire for not only supporting her and providing her with ample learning opportunities, but also for instilling their passion in their work into her education. She would also like to thank Dr. Beltaire for helping her find her passion for reproduction and teaching, and for all her guidance over the last four years. Jordan encourages students finding their way in the VASCI program to try new things and different fields, whether that be different classes or animal species, to find what they like, since they may never know where their passions lie if they don’t try the many opportunities offered.

Jordan will be attending veterinary school at Colorado State University in the fall at to pursue a mixed practice or large animal education with a specialty in reproduction for small ruminants.