Wren Comeau
Staff Writer
Nora Alexander, a 21 year old alumna of FSC, never thought that her degree in biology would lead to anything other than becoming a veterinarian. Nora had always been interested in pursuing a degree in animals, volunteering at her local vet office throughout the summers, and planning her path to pre-med.
“Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a vet. Even so, I didn’t like biology when I first went into college, but I knew it was the path I had to take to get to the career I wanted. But that changed and I ended up really loving it,” Alexander said.
Those first experiences would be formative to her current career and ignite a lifelong passion for working with animals. Fast forward four years later and she still is working with animals, but not the ones you might expect. She is now thriving at an internship for The Lemur Conservation Foundation: breeding, care-taking and learning about these exotic creatures while deriving a rich, educational experience that she hopes will build her portfolio for masters programs.
“I had never considered doing anything in conservation. Until you know about the job, you don’t realize it’s a possibility,” Alexander said.
She hopes to continue to work in conservation research to preserve and protect the husbandry and populations of primates.
There are many experiences that shaped Nora’s path to her current employment, but she thinks the strongest influences were the people that motivated her forward along the way.
“During Southern experience [Southern select], I remember randomly sitting next to this one girl. We got along pretty well and she eventually asked me to be her roommate. I was so nervous going to a place I didn’t know without knowing anyone, so I said yes and it was nice to have somebody that was equally intimidated by new experiences and that made me feel like I belonged here on campus,” Alexander said. For her, those friendships were very important for her transition to college and helped her with the confidence of being independent.
Additionally, joining clubs and organizations helped to shape her sense of belonging on campus. She did this through her involvement in the campus cat club, the pre-vet society and her sophomore year recruitment to Gamma Phi Beta. From there, she decided to really focus on being an active member of Gamma Phi Beta, and later became a chairwoman for Gamma Phi Beta’s activity board. Within the Lakeland community, she also served at Pace, a school for at-risk or behaviorally challenged women. She would do service tasks like organizing their closets and donating supplies.
The academic staff, and resources also had a part to play in Nora’s success in college. Specifically, she remarks on one professor that made a big impact on her choices.
“I love Dr. Wolovich. I had her spring semester of freshman year for an entry-level biology class. I think I really connected with her and her teaching style and I really love the way she speaks up for students. Then, flash forward to my senior year I took animal behavior with her, I knew I would like it, but I never thought that it would be so interesting that it would make me want to reassess my career choices,” Alexander said.
Other than in school experiences, Alexander shared some valuable advice about transitioning into new stages of life. Particularly, moving from college life into the professional world.
“I think keeping busy through change, cause life does keep moving on after you graduate. No matter what you’re doing post-graduation, if you can just keep some momentum and routine, it makes it a lot easier to get to the next point you need to get to,” Alexander said.
Alexander’s insight can be helpful, not just for graduating seniors, but for freshmen who are also dealing with the life change of going to college. Alexander also highlighted the importance of “saying yes to new experience,” because that’s when the most enriching lessons can be learned. Alexander expressed her thoughts on what advice she would give to students that are interested in a similar career path.
“I would talk to your professors. I think I waited too long and was stuck in one mindset to accept other options or other research opportunities from professors, I feel like having an open mind to those things is more valuable than that. I would say to current students, you never really know what you want to do until you do it, so if you can say yes to as many internships or whatever else your field entails. You might find something that you never thought was possible,” Alexander said.
This advice worked well for Alexander as she relates it back to her own life by saying, “I never thought I’d be hanging out with monkeys, but you know I’m really glad I decided to take a chance on it because it was so much fun,”
Overall, Alexander’s career path shows both the challenges and unexpected turns that can come with pursuing a degree. Her time at FSC gave her opportunities to explore different interests, connect with faculty and gain experiences that helped shape her future direction. The beginning of her career shows how a college journey is rarely straightforward, but each step can contribute to growth and open new possibilities.
