Clermont local Tessa Cook has been announced as one of the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship recipients for 2023 and the James Cook University vet student has big plans for the future.
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Backed by sponsor Meat and Livestock Australia and the $10,000 bursary, Ms Cook will be looking to get hands on experience within the industry during her final two years of study with annual work placements, as well as professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
With the current labour shortage hitting veterinary surgeries across the country, particularly those in rural areas, Ms Cook said it was more important than ever for initiatives such as the AgriFutures scholarship to boost the next generation of vets.
"There's a big shortage at the moment, and anything that can encourage people to give it a go, I'm all for it, it's a great profession," she said.
"AgriFutures have been so good. I've only had this scholarship for not even a month, and I'm already getting so many opportunities, so it's going to be a great experience.
"We get to do heaps of networking, learn about the industry, and then each year we do two industry placements, which we get to choose ourselves, and then I have MLA to support me through it all which is so good."
Ms Cook said the vet science program at JCU has been a perfect fit for her over the last four years, allowing her to pursue her dreams of becoming a large animal vet.
"I'm absolutely loving it, especially since we've started clinical placements as well, which we get to pick and choose according to our interests," she said.
"JCU are really proactive when it comes to placements and helping you get to where you want to go.
"I've been down to Dubbo, which was all small animals and I got to do some surgeries, and I've been to Mackay, which was fantastic because it was a great split of that and cattle work as well.
"You'd do a castration in the morning, and then you go out and see a lame horse in the afternoon, with a bit of preg-testing in between, so that was the perfect mix.
"I'm hopefully going up north next year, and I'm hoping to get over to New Zealand as well."
Growing up on property 60 kilometres north-west of Clermont, it's no surprise the 22-year-old is keen to work with cattle, given her interest and passion for the beef industry.
After graduating from boarding school in Brisbane, Ms Cook spent two years working on her family's cattle and cropping operation, before completing a placement at her local vet surgery which set her on the career path.
"I did two weeks placement at the Clermont vet surgery working with Tess Salmond, who is an amazing vet, and as soon as I started working with her, I said this is it, and then I applied straight away," she said.
"I forgot the date the results were coming out, so I was up mustering at our breeder block and there's no reception up there at all, and then mom called me that night and said your results are here.
"So I jumped in the chopper with the helicopter pilot and flew an hour and a half home to look at the results and got in, so it was all a bit of a surprise."
When she's not studying for exams or away on placement, Ms Cook can be found back home working with her parents and siblings.
"In between uni and placements, you'll find me at home, that's where I'll be working," she said.
"Every single holidays or anytime that I can get off, I head back and jump on a motorbike and do some mustering."
A number of other Queenslanders were also named in the 2023 Horzion scholars cohort, including Ella Fleming, Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland; Imogen Morison, Bachelor of Agribusiness, University of Queensland; and Isaac Halling, Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Science (Plant Agricultural Science), University of Southern Queensland.
