Honors College student Isabelle James pursues love of animals through the HC Pre-Veterinary Program and colloquium courses.

By Fiona Dunlop on April 1, 2024

Empowering students to pursue their passions is at the heart of the Honors College’s mission at Oregon State, and through the Honors College Pre-Veterinary Program, second-year Honors College student Isabelle James is doing exactly that. 

Offered in partnership with the Carson College of Veterinary Medicine, the program facilitates experiential learning by providing students with opportunities to participate in research and observe clinical veterinary medicine first-hand. Participants in the program are also encouraged to expand their knowledge by attending senior paper and clinical presentations and volunteering.  

“I get many opportunities to learn more about hands-on veterinary medicine, and I have my own assigned veterinary mentor,” says Isabelle. “It’s a wonderful opportunity and it’s only offered through the Honors College.” 

Honors College Isabelle James smiles for a closeup

Isabelle, who studies animal science, says her love of animals can be traced back to her high school years in Happy Valley, where she was able to gain real-world experience through her school’s Future Farmers of America chapter. “I took classes, gained experience with livestock and even got to raise my own pigs!” she exclaims. Crediting her FFA involvement for her desire to become a large animal veterinarian, she adds, “I relished the opportunity to look after animals and conduct research.”  

Recently, Isabelle expanded her passion for nature through an HC colloquium class, Biomimicry, Wisdom and Inspiration from Nature to Solve Human Challenges, which focused on how students can use strategies from nature to solve problems. “I’ve always had an appreciation for nature, so I thought the idea of human design inspired by nature was very compelling,” says Isabelle. 

Tasked with the creation of two product prototypes that imitate nature in some capacity, Isabelle designed medicinal stuffed animals. Her first prototype, a toy fiddler crab, was inspired by the vibrations emitted from a cat’s purr. This stemmed from Isabelle’s own research into vibration therapy, the practice of rapidly vibrating muscles to relieve muscle soreness, enhance blood flow and decrease cortisol levels. Aiming to incorporate this in her design, Isabelle added a space in the stuffed animal to place a device that would emit vibrations for those healing purposes. Her second prototype, a stuffed halibut, included a zippered pocket for a removable cooling and heating pack. 

Isabelle holding some sea creature stuffed animals that she made

Beyond the devices’ medicinal benefits, Isabelle aimed to make a toy inspired by the asymmetry she found in nature. “There is an emphasis on everything being perfect in our world. My hope is that designing asymmetrical toys for youth might inspire people to accept imperfections, to accept asymmetricity.”  

Colloquia, which focus on in-depth exploration of topics in small classes, are just one of the elements of the Honors College Isabelle has found valuable. “The Honors College has many benefits” such as “being able to work with others—which isn’t an opportunity you get in mass lectures,” as well as the opportunity “to conduct your own research and take an individual approach to learning.”  

Moving forward, Isabelle aims to attend veterinary school with the goal of working as a large-animal veterinarian, emboldened by her time as Pre-Veterinary Scholar through the Honors College. Beyond the explicit opportunities and experiences of this program, Isabelle is leaving with the “take home message” to “enroll in classes you might not initially see as a requirement but find intriguing. I learned a lot from this class, especially the value of not just seeing nature but appreciating it.” She encourages fellow students to, “try new things you might not be initially interested in; you could learn a lot.” 

By Ava Wittman, Honors College student writer