Kyndale Chamberlain

Cedar Valley Campus

Former Rising Star Scholar
Licensed Veterinary Technician

Thanks to a Rising Star scholarship to Cedar Valley, Kyndale Chamberlain has fulfilled her immediate career goal of becoming a licensed veterinary technician. She’s worked her way up from being a kennel technician while still in high school. And last summer, she participated in a summer abroad program working with abused dogs and elephants in Thailand.

“I always knew I wanted to work with animals,” says Kyndale, “and in my senior year at Duncanville High School, I took its veterinary assisting course. I thought about being a wildlife rehabilitator or a marine biologist, but realistically I didn’t live in a forest or by the ocean. I learned about Cedar Valley’s accredited Vet Tech program
and applied, though it was so full that I had to wait a year after high school to start it.”

Her high school veterinary course provided a stepping stone to land a kennel technician job at Pet Medical Center of Duncanville, where she still works more than four years later – though now as a licensed veterinary technician. She earned that designation at state and national levels last fall, after graduating from Cedar Valley’s Veterinary Technology program in May 2015.

“When I received the Rising Star scholarship, it felt good knowing that I had the security of having tuition covered when I began my classes,” she says. “I went to school year ‘round for two years and was studying constantly. It was hard going to school through two straight years, but I always had my goal in mind so I just pushed through to reach it.”

Summer Abroad in Thailand

After earning her associate degree in May 2015, Kyndale had the opportunity to participate in Loop Abroad, a hands-on summer abroad program in Thailand for students working with animals.

“The first week, I worked with Animal Rescue Kingdom with more than 200 dogs, neutering and drawing blood,” she says. “The second week I worked at the Elephant Nature Park where we fed, bathed and dressed the wounds of elephants, many of them abused. I enjoyed everything about my experience with Loop Abroad — though not the Thai food so much since I’m a picky eater! It was really a learning experience and I want to go back.

“For now, I’ve reached my career goal of becoming a licensed veterinary technician. What I love about my job is educating people about animal health care. We don’t just play with puppies all day!

“I do medical work with the animals, equivalent to the job of nursing in human hospitals,” Kyndale adds. “I love being able to apply what I learned in school to my field. Cedar Valley’s Vet Tech program prepares you to work, and I use my education from there every day on the job.”

“I use my Cedar Valley education every day on the job.”

— Kyndale Chamberlain