From an early age, Kayla Orso knew she would attend The Ohio State University. “My dad, and my mom both went to Ohio State. I’ve always loved Ohio State, and when I learned they have a good vet school as well, that was the biggest thing ever to 12‑year‑old me!” Orso said.
At the time, she did not yet realize that animal sciences, a field unfamiliar to her growing up, would become the academic home that shaped her entire professional path.
“I have wanted to be a vet since I was a kid, and so that’s always been the path I knew I was going to take,” she said. “I just didn’t know I was going to do it through animal sciences.”
Unsure how to reach her goal, Orso explored courses across the university. “I got into this struggle of, what am I going to do now, because I really wanted to be a veterinarian, but I didn’t know how I was going to do it,” she said.
One course changed everything: introductory animal sciences. “That’s how I learned that animal sciences existed,” Orso said, noting that she grew up as a “suburbs kid” without experiences in 4‑H or Future Farmers of America.
Once she discovered the major, it became the foundation of her academic journey. Orso earned a B.S. in Animal Sciences in 2016, a master’s degree in veterinary preventative medicine, epidemiology and public health in 2018, and ultimately her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2022—but it was animal sciences that first gave her direction.
Majoring in Animal Sciences gave her a holistic understanding of the interconnectedness of animal and human health and opened doors to internships with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Department of Health, and The Ohio Farm Bureau. “These were amazing experiences” she said. “I never would’ve known about how agriculture, One Health, and public health all interact without animal sciences.”
As she deepened her understanding of the field, her decision to attend Ohio State felt increasingly right, as she experienced Ohio State's strong academic reputation alongside its emphasis on learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom.
Orso also credits her involvement in student organizations, including the Mount Leadership Society Scholars and Alpha Zeta Partners, for introducing her to people with diverse backgrounds and strengthening her leadership and communication skills.
Those communication skills now serve her well as a veterinarian at CareVet. “I think what I enjoy most about my day is communication with people. A lot of people think veterinary medicine is just working with animals, but it’s working with people more than anything and being able to share my knowledge is what keeps me going every day.”
To students beginning their own journeys, Orso encourages flexibility and curiosity, reflecting on how her own path evolved in unexpected ways. “I thought I had this one career, one pathway, and that changed a lot for me,” she said, emphasizing that staying open‑minded can lead to unexpected opportunities. She also highlights the breadth of the field, noting that animal sciences offers many career pathways and that “you don’t have to just be a veterinarian.”