Maya Silberstein

Sentient Student Member

 

My name is Maya Silberstein and I am a third year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student at the University of Sydney.

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I am one of those veterinary students who always knew they wanted to be a vet, even though I did take a few detours along the way. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Primatology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan in 2009. I then worked as a Veterinary Nurse and volunteered at a Lemur Sanctuary in Florida before getting accepted to veterinary school at the University of Melbourne. I did a year of veterinary medicine and then decided to transfer to a Master of Science in Zoology program. My thesis was fascinating, looking at the effects the hormone relaxin had on the reactivation of the blastocyst from diapause in the Tammar wallaby.  

As much as I enjoyed the research I did for my masters, upon completion of that degree, I realised that veterinary medicine is my true calling. I re-applied to veterinary school and was accepted into the DVM program at the University of Sydney in 2015. I was thrilled to be getting a second chance at my dream.

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I first learned about Sentient from Dr. Paul McGreevy while enquiring about welfare minded public, industry or community placement (PIC) options. In our final year rotations we are required to complete a placement that gives us experiences as vets outside the clinical setting, and shows us how vets can influence their community from beyond the consult room. I was very interested in working with a welfare organisation for this placement as it is an issue close to my heart and I was eager to learn more about the possible roles for a veterinarian in welfare organisations and promoting animal welfare and rights.

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I was excited to hear that Sentient are open to hosting a student and allowing them to assist in their advocacy work. I will be completing my PIC placement with them in January of 2018 and know that it will be an invaluable experience and great beginning to my final year rotations. 

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