Rising Stars: Meet the Veterinary Students Who Are Changing Vet Med
Every generation of veterinary medicine has a moment when new voices step forward and change the conversation. Vet Candy's Rising Stars program exists to find those voices early — and make sure the profession knows their names.
These are the veterinary students, new graduates, and early-career DVMs who are already doing the work. They are researchers, advocates, innovators, and clinicians who chose this profession with intention and are building something worth paying attention to. We profile them not because they have arrived, but because they are on their way — and this community deserves to watch them get there.
Rising Stars is published annually by Vet Candy, the leading media platform for veterinary professionals, with over 50,000 members across the globe.
Megan Weidenbach Is Building Her Voice Before She Even Graduates
Megan Weidenbach is a third-year DVM student at Lincoln Memorial University, President of her school's WVLDI chapter, and one of Vet Candy's Rising Stars for 2026. A self-described yapper, ceramics artist, and social media creator with thousands of followers, Megan talks about her grandmother's legacy, the creative life she never gave up, and why the veterinary profession needs more people willing to make noise. Read her story.
Sidney Paris Survived Homelessness. Now She's Rewriting the Rules on Who Gets to Be a Veterinarian
Cornell Vet Student, Sydney Paris, had already logged over 2,000 volunteer hours before she ever set foot in a veterinary classroom. Not because it looked good on an application. Not because someone told her it was required. Because service wasn't something she did, she did it because it was survival, community, and the only path she knew forward.
Through the Lens: How Jessica Wood Is Capturing the Heart of Our Profession
Jessica Wood was one week away from giving up on vet school. The photography business rebrand was ready to launch, the decision had been made, and she had finally made peace with letting go of a lifelong dream. Then her mentor of 15 years called her bluff.
Meet Natasha George: The Shelter Medicine Student Fighting for Every Second Chance
Some veterinary students know exactly where they're headed from day one. Natasha George, or Nat, as her friends call her, is one of them. Currently juggling her DVM at the University of Arizona with a Master's in Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida (graduating this May), she's the kind of future veterinarian who doesn't just talk about making a difference, she's already doing it.
Finding Her Voice: How Orli Algranatti Is Redefining Veterinary Mentorship
When CSU vet student, Orli Algranatti, accepted a veterinary internship in a country where she didn't speak the language, she was terrified. The barriers felt insurmountable, the risk enormous. But something inside her knew that the opportunities that scare us the most are often the ones we need to pursue.
The Long Game: Marcus McCaskill Is Building Toward a Mission Bigger Than Himself
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln vet student (Class of 2028) has a goal that most people would call ambitious. He'd probably call it necessary. Marcus is working toward creating a wildlife rehabilitation site and sanctuary, complete with reforestation and habitat revitalization. The kind of thing that takes decades, not semesters. The kind of thing that requires becoming someone capable of carrying it out.
Chloe Link is a Fourth-Year Vet Student. She's Already Worked on Five Continents. And She's Just Getting Started.
Most veterinary students spend their fourth year finalizing rotations, finishing boards prep, and trying to remember what sleep feels like. Chloe Link is doing all of that and arriving at it having already worked as an African mammal zookeeper, contributed to marine mammal rehabilitation, participated in sea turtle conservation, performed wildlife capture and immobilization, and cared for more than 100 species.
Courtney Ford-Franklin is Still in Vet School. She's Already Changing the Profession.
She has not graduated yet. She has not opened a practice, published a paper, or collected a single credential beyond the ones she is still in the process of earning. And she is already exactly the kind of veterinarian this profession needs more of. Meet LSU fourth year veterinary student, Courtney Ford-Franklin, a 2026 Vet Candy Rising Star.
Spencer Stelly Wanted to Be on Broadway. Instead, He’s Going to Bat for Every Vet Student in America.
Spencer Stelly has 416 days until he graduates. He knows the exact number. He also knows exactly what stands between him and that moment, the NAVLE, a mixed animal internship, and a career in emergency and critical care that he has been building toward since he was a kid watching his father run the crime laboratory in Louisiana.
Cayden Smith: Type A, Slightly Uptight, and Exactly Who SAVMA Needed
Cayden Smith Has Been Sure About One Thing Her Whole Life. Everything Else Is Beautifully Unresolved. The SAVMA President-Elect, second-year vet student, and person who still reads ten pages before bed on exam nights is figuring it out in real time and she is completely okay with that.
This Vet Student Traded the Basketball Court for the Clinic Floor
Phylicia McInnis has spent her entire life showing up. For her teammates on the basketball court. For the kids in her community who look up to her. For her two fur babies, Coco the dog and Pork the cat, who have no idea their mom is going to be a doctor someday. Now, as a second-year veterinary student at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Phylicia is showing up for herself, and the veterinary profession is better for it.
Jacqui Maisey Moved Across the World for Veterinary School. She Would Do It Again Tomorrow
She Left Canada, Crossed the World, and Named Her Pottery Studio Stinky Boy. She Is Exactly Right for This Profession. A former Division 1 water polo player studying veterinary medicine in Perth, Western Australia, Jacqui Maisey has a lot to say about kindness, credibility, and why resilience is not about toughness.
Anecia Hawkins Is Not Your Typical Vet Student. That's Exactly the Point.
Most veterinary students don't list "actress" as a backup career. Anecia Hawkins has never been most veterinary students. The fourth-year at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine holds a dual degree in Biology and Theatre, with a minor in Dance. It sounds like an unlikely combination until you hear how she talks about it.
FAQ About Vet Candy Rising Stars
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Vet Candy Rising Stars is an annual program that identifies and celebrates veterinary students and early-career DVMs who are already making an impact in the profession. Each year, Vet Candy profiles a select group of next-generation veterinary professionals — highlighting their stories, their clinical interests, and the work they are doing to move vet med forward.
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Rising Stars features veterinary students, recent graduates, and early-career DVMs who demonstrate exceptional promise, leadership, or innovation in the field. Nominees can be in any specialty or practice area — what matters is the impact they are making and the trajectory they are on.
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Honorees are selected by the Vet Candy editorial team based on nominations from the community, academic institutions, and professional networks.
We look for candidates who exemplify what the next generation of veterinary medicine looks like — curious, driven, community-minded, and unafraid to do things differently.
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Nominations for Rising Stars are accepted through our online form at myvetcandy.com/nominate
You can nominate a classmate, colleague, student, or yourself. We want to hear about the veterinary professionals in your world who deserve a spotlight and tell us who they are and why they belong on this list.
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Vet Candy Rising Stars is published annually every May. The 2026 class is featured now at myvetcandy.com/rising-stars.
Nominations for the next class open later this year, follow Vet Candy on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know.
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Vet Candy is the leading media and education platform for the next generation of veterinary professionals, founded by Dr. Jill López, DVM, MBA.
With over 50,000 members, the number one veterinary podcast on Apple, and programs like NAVLE Warriors, Career Match for Dream Jobs, and Scrub Squad for first year vet students, Vet Candy is where the profession's future is already showing up.