Class of 2025: Finding A Tight-Knit, Food Animal-Focused Community

Maya Keefer says that she initially didn’t plan to attend NC State for veterinary school. 

Keefer, who grew up on land used to graze beef cows in Asheville, North Carolina, and earned her bachelor’s in animal science and Spanish at NC State, had her sights set on attending a veterinary school where she didn’t have to choose a specific animal population focus area. Ideally, she thought, that school would be in a different state or country where she could gain new experiences.

Surprising herself, she applied to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s Food Animal Scholars program on a whim and was admitted. Then, taking another surprising leap, she chose to attend the state school over Massey University of New Zealand.

Four years later, she laughs at her younger self because she can’t imagine learning anywhere else. The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine enabled her to study ruminant health across the country and globe and offered a community to welcome her home after each jaunt.

“I’m really happy that I came here, because being able to have a food animal-specific track for me, especially in my fourth year, has been key in how I’ve been able to learn,” says Keefer, an avid knitter with an affinity for fiber animals and cows. “The support I’ve received from the faculty here and the breadth of experiences that they’ve helped me to find and supported me in pursuing have been essential.”

The community Keefer found at NC State has been especially crucial over the past year. Two of her clinical externships, including a rotation at a Canadian dairy, were canceled last-minute. Keefer’s faculty mentors helped her scramble to fill those required blocks.

When Hurricane Helene hit Keefer’s hometown in September while she was on a beef cattle block, her supervisor for that rotation, NC State extension veterinarian Dr. Tom Van Dyke, encouraged her to pause and help her loved ones. Keefer spent a long weekend in Asheville digging a friend’s house out of the mud and volunteering with a mobile clinic to serve injured and displaced pets.

“I was really grateful to be able to spend some time up there and give back to my community,” says Keefer, who also interpreted for Spanish-speaking clients at the mobile clinic. “It was tough to drive away.”

Keefer isn’t one to let challenges hold her back. During her clinical year, she cross-crossed the United States and Europe to complete additional bovine- and public-health-focused externships in Washington, Oregon, California, New Jersey, Spain and Ireland.

Those experiences augmented the extensive education Keefer received in production animal medicine through NC State’s Food Animal Scholars Program. Designed to address a dire nationwide food animal veterinarian shortage, the program provides a mentorship pipeline to students interested in working with livestock.

“All of the food animal clinicians I’ve worked with are really good educators,” Keefer says. “What people don’t realize about food animal medicine is that a lot of it is learning how to teach people, especially when you’re working with hobby farms or large dairies.”

Keefer has grown especially close with Dr. Kelley Varner, assistant clinical professor of anesthesia and analgesia. A research topic the two collaborated on through the Veterinary Scholars Program, evaluating an anesthesia blocking technique for standing surgery in cattle, has produced several research papers with Keefer as a top author.

Keefer has demonstrated remarkable skill as a clinician and is always willing to go the extra mile for her patients, Varner says, calling her “a shining example of what it means to be a compassionate and dedicated veterinarian.”

“She exemplifies intelligence, practicality, hard work, kindness, and teamwork,” Varner adds. “Her willingness to serve in food animal medicine is deeply appreciated, and we are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful person join the veterinary community. Maya’s dedication to animal welfare and her exceptional skills will undoubtedly make her a valuable asset to the field.”

As Keefer prepares for another adventure, a job at a bovine practice in upstate New York, she’s promised to keep in touch with the NC State faculty and staff who helped her find her footing in ruminant medicine.

“They’re some of the most encouraging people,” she says. “It doesn’t really matter what you want to do, they’re going to be excited for you and do whatever they can to see you grow and learn. I could call most of the ruminant team at any point, and if they didn’t pick up, I know they would call me back within 30 minutes if they could.”