Students Strengthen Campus Community through NC State Chapter of Association of Asian Veterinary Medical Professionals 

The students behind NC State’s chapter of the Association of Asian Veterinary Medical Professionals may be on our campus for only four years, but they are working to make an impact that will benefit generations of students who come after them. 

Founded two years ago, the group is strengthening our CVM community by building a network of support and mentorship for students and faculty who identify as Asian and more widely sharing Asian culture with the college. The chapter, one of 17 at colleges of veterinary medicine throughout the country, joins an association of Asian professionals working to increase their visibility within the veterinary community through mentorship, advocacy and fellowship. 

As NC State University celebrates Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American Heritage Heritage Month, we caught up with Ly Le, the group’s president, and Meghan Chung, a founder of the organization and current vice president, to discuss AAVMP’s role on our campus. 

What is the mission of AAVMP?

Ly Le: AAVMP is an organization created to amplify the voices and visibility of Asians in veterinary medicine. Like any of the other affinity groups we have on campus, our mission is to create greater diversity and better veterinary medicine as a whole. It’s so important to have people of different backgrounds and cultures because it makes a better team, it makes us better clinicians and it makes us better doctors.

Meghan Chung: We want to inspire, support and connect Asian veterinary professionals, not only locally but throughout the country and internationally. Only 2% to 4% of veterinary professionals are Asian. I think it’s so important to increase the visibility of Asian professionals within the community. Seeing people in leadership positions is essential to motivate future generations of Asian veterinary professionals. 

How does AAVMP achieve that mission?

Le: We aim to promote cultural awareness and education about Asian heritage and facilitate networking between Asian veterinary professionals. So, it’s not just a student organization. We have faculty members as well. It’s about making us more known on campus and knowing that we’re here so that other Asian people can see us and know that they have a space here in veterinary medicine and on our campus.

Chung: The events we have held so far have included a lecture on how to be an ally for minority communities in veterinary medicine, a sushi-making night, a bake sale with treats from different cultures, making Chè Ba Màu — a Vietnamese dessert — to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a Q&A with our Asian faculty to discuss their journeys, origami stress relief, a Lunar New Year celebration complete with a dragon dance and an event at Marbles Kids Museum called “See a Vet, Be a Vet” where students volunteer to highlight representation in veterinary medicine for young students to see people who look like them as veterinarians. 

I think Lunar New Year was probably our biggest event. That was the coolest one for me because we had so many students come up afterward and be like, “This is so fun. Learning about your culture and your people is so fun.” That’s what we want to bring to campus: educate, bring awareness and include other people, even if they aren’t Asian and they just want to learn and support our culture and our community.

How does AAVMP help prepare our students for their careers?

Le: I think the biggest barrier for people of color and minorities in veterinary medicine is accessibility. Your network really matters when it comes to knowing where to go for the next step in your career. So, AAVMP is working on building a national network for not only licensed professionals but also students seeking mentorship.

Chung: AAVMP also has international outreach. So, not just within our country and our med schools, but they have connections that we can talk to and reach out to in other countries and just keep building that network. It’s huge.

How has AAVMP enhanced your experience at the CVM?

Chung: Starting this chapter has created a space of belonging at our vet school. Though we are a small club, the community it has created and the awareness it has spread to other students have made leaps and bounds. The number of students and faculty who come up and thank us for hosting events and teaching about various Asian cultures, foods and traditions makes my heart happy and makes me feel proud to be an Asian veterinary professional. 

It’s made me want to stay here longer. I think it has made that sense of community I was seeking out. I’m like, “Maybe I could come back here for a residency, for an internship.”