Senior Jackson Lesher recently committed to Colorado College to further his athletic career in lacrosse. Off the field, Lesher shadows Dr. Andrew Sams at the Sams Clinic Veterinary Specialists in Mill Valley. The following is a transcribed interview. 

Aanika Sawhney: Will you tell me a little bit about your internship, specifically how your interest in veterinary sciences started? 

Jackson Lesher: I’ve always really been interested in animals. I had a dog growing up. It sounds cliche, but I’ve always loved my dog like my best friend. I started pursuing becoming a vet last year. It was a project in physiology class where we had to do a career investigation. I chose veterinarian. One of my best friends who goes to MC, his dad is the head surgeon at the clinic [where] I’m doing my shadowing program. He was the first person I thought of and reached out to. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the time to do the interview that I needed to do with him, but I was able to interview his head veterinary technician named Danielle. After that interview and after the project, I reached back out and inquired about doing an internship program or a shadowing program with Dr. Sams who is the head surgeon there.

AS: What made you pick veterinarian studies for the project?

JL: I’ve always been interested in it. But I think the root of why I’m so interested in becoming a vet is because I want to be someone who helps others. And I think that comes from my sister who has special needs. She’s nonverbal. So I think in that way, I enjoy helping people, dogs and animals that can’t really advocate for themselves. 

AS: Thanks for sharing that with me. How has the shadowing program been so far? When do you go to the clinic? 

JL: I’ve been going in most Wednesdays and then some school holidays. I can go in the morning and spectate surgery because surgeries start pretty early. I think patients get booked in at around 7 a.m.. They’re not open on the weekends so school holidays allow me to go in without the conflict of school. I’ve spectated one surgery so far. The other times have been mostly just shadowing Dr. Sams. He basically walks me through his process when he gets a patient and things such as the radiology report and x-rays. He tells me what he looks for, what his plan of attack is for surgery and how he thinks he can help that patient. 

AS: Can you tell me more about the first surgery? What was the specific case? Were you nervous at all? 

JL: I was pretty nervous. Initially, the vet technician, Danielle, was prepping me. She was telling me about how in the past, they’ve had people spectating surgeries pass out [which interferes] with the surgery because of their lack of consciousness. That freaked me out a little bit, but I was fine. I didn’t pass out or anything. The surgery was one of their most common surgeries that they do, which is called a TPLO. And it’s basically the dog version of an ACL surgery. It’s the most invasive surgery they do. It’s hard to explain without pictures, but they rearranged the bones in the dog’s legs, so that there’s less pressure on their cruciate ligament, which is the dog’s version of an ACL. Then there’s essentially no need for that ligament anymore and they put a plate in to keep the bones in place. That’s basically the bulk of the surgeries they do, ligament tears.

AS: Was there anything specific that struck you about the surgery?

JL: The dog was fully under [anesthesia.] And it kind of surprised me — I thought I was going to be seeing the whole dog just on the operating table. They had the entire dog covered up with blankets and only the leg that was being operated on was sticking out.

AS: I assume a lot is going on when they’re operating. Do you normally take notes or just stay really focused when you’re watching?

JL: I have not been taking notes. The operating room is pretty chill, for lack of a better word. When they’re operating, because Dr. Sams has been doing this for so long, he puts on some music. We were listening to The Beatles, actually. [Dr. Sams,] the anesthesiologist and his assistant, they’re all great friends, because they’ve been working together for a while. It’s a very positive environment in the operating room, and there’s not much tension. I think that helps with the procedure.

When he can enroll in more advanced biology classes, Lesher plans to take advantage of Colorado College’s block plan, where students take only one class for a specific period of time. Lesher’s exposure to Dr. Sams’s daily work reaffirmed his passion for the field of veterinary medicine that he will continue to pursue in higher education. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.