College of

Veterinary Medicine

Jacob Gollihare grew up in the small town of Stratford, Oklahoma. Once he was old enough to show livestock, he started with pigs and then added sheep. This sparked his desire to raise his own animals, so he purchased a few gilts and started raising his own showpigs. He and his dad still raise pigs together and, although it was his main focus, he also dabbled in various aspects of agriculture throughout high school. He grew peaches, farmed, baled hay, raised cattle and even gardened.

 

Why did you decide to pursue a career in veterinary medicine and why did you choose OSU?
There was a small part of me that always wanted to be a veterinarian. When I started raising my own showpigs, it enhanced that feeling. I was fascinated at all the things it took to raise a litter of pigs from vaccinating, breeding, feeding, and even solving dystocia problems were so interesting. Along with shadowing at clinics, I knew that this was the career for me. I love how different every day can be at a mixed animal clinic and love being able to work outside. I dreamt of going to OSU my whole life and wouldn’t of wanted to get my undergraduate or DVM anywhere else.

 

What does rural veterinary medicine mean to you? What is it something you are passionate about?
Rural medicine to me is very important and I believe growing up in a rural area has truly shaped and deepened this belief. The people of rural America are awesome people you will get to know and be able to work with very closely. I’m so passionate about rural medicine I love being around people and being able to help them out when needed. My main motivation for pursing rural large animal medicine is that it’s all I’ve ever know and is one way I could give back to the community that raised me in Stratford.

 

What are your future plans?
My future plans are to move back to my hometown of Stratford and work alongside my wife and her grandpa in a mixed animal practice. I plan to mostly focus on the large animal side of things while helping with small animals every now and then. I plan to implement things such a herd health programs and educational meetings with producers in our practice.

 

How does it feel to receive this award?

This award as changed my life not only in the short term but in the long term also. Without it, I may have spent the next 20 years paying of my debt and now I can have it paid off much faster.