IAA Internship Stories: Maggie Popp

November 15, 2016

Taking care of 30 dogs every day is no easy task, but Institute of Applied Agriculture student Maggie Popp accepted the challenge for her summer internship. A second-year in the Agricultural Business Management track, Popp interned at Churchville Veterinary Clinic in Churchville, Maryland, where she fed, walked, bathed, played with, and cleaned up after an average of 30 dogs per day.

This internship was not Popp's first experience caring for animals. She is involved in the raising of livestock through 4-H, and has cared for pets of her own throughout most of her life. She chose this internship based on her desire for a career working with animals, and it proved to be a wise choice. Popp learned to properly administer medications, and caring for so many animals honed her time management skills. But despite the positive experience during her internship, she realized that day-to-day treatment of pets is not how she wants to spend her days and has shifted her career focus toward wildlife rather than veterinary care.

Even though her internship didn’t yield the expected outcome, Popp found the day-to-day experience, useful skills gained, and the new direction for her future illuminating. She stated, “The internship was different from what I expected, but that helped me refine my future career path. The skills I learned will really help me in the long run.”