For her senior project, Lindsay Meadows focused on the financial and educational barriers in pet care and their impact on animal welfare.
“These MSA projects are career-oriented projects to explore a potential future career by providing the opportunity to shadow a professional and create a product that impacts the future,” senior Sierra Edney said.
“I chose this topic because of my passion for animal welfare and my aspiration to become a veterinarian,” Meadows said. “I wanted to address one of the biggest challenges I observed in veterinary practices, financial inequity, and find solutions to help pet owners afford essential care while improving the quality of life for animals.”
Her favorite part was getting to shadow the surgeries and work with the animals, according to Meadows.
“My mentor was Dr. Herbert Maisenbacher, a veterinary cardiologist, who not only guided me through my project, but also connected me with several of his colleagues,” Meadows said.
Meadows shadowed professionals in diverse areas of veterinary medicine at the Virginia Zoo, SPCA, Blue Pearl Surgery Office and General Booth Veterinary Clinic, which totaled 70 hours between the different places.
According to Meadows, she hoped to develop her research, problem-solving and communication skills, while also hoping to gain a deep understanding of challenges veterinarians and pet owners face.
“Lindsay’s project was so unique; it was the first veterinary career exploration that resulted in a student wanting to educate others about health insurance,” senior project advisor Allison Graves said.
Meadows also wanted to create a website that would help pet owners access critical information about preventative cares and financial planning.
“I’ve never had a student who has thought all these pet owners would have to make these really hard decisions based on finances not on the health of their pets,” Graves said. “She felt that was such a shame, and I was really proud of her for thinking divergently about how to have an impact with her project.”
Lindsay will present her project on March 6, 2025 during fourth block in the Schola.
