After hours spent in classrooms, clinical settings, research labs, and fieldwork, DVM and graduate students of the College of Veterinary Medicine walked the stage at its annual Commencement Ceremony. 

Held May 11 at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, the ceremony awarded nearly 140 students degrees across the College’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Veterinary Science, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences, and dual DVM/Master of Public Health programs. 

While the day’s graduates will take career paths that span clinical and research settings across academia, industry, and government, there are attributes that all will carry forward with them, according to CVM Dean Laura Molgaard. 

“A common denominator in all of your future career paths is that you will be leading efforts to help keep the world and its inhabitants healthy and safe,” Molgaard told graduates. “Your unique abilities will place you in an important leadership role, and this concept of leadership is not new to you. …And since the day you arrived, you have been developing and honing these leadership skills.”

Another vital part to succeeding in their careers will be acknowledging the presence of those around them—their struggles, their strengths, and their humanity—urged keynote speaker Stephan Schaefbauer, '08 MPH, the area veterinarian in charge for USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) Veterinary Services in Minnesota

“Community is essential—not just the veterinary community you will lean on for support and guidance, but the broader communities you serve,” Schaefbauer said. “Whether you work in private practice, research, public health, or beyond, being present and engaged with the people around you will enrich both your career and your life.”

Marking a milestone in the Class of 2025 DVM cohort were the first graduates of the Professional Practice in Veterinary Medicine (PPVM) program between CVM and South Dakota State University (SDSU). The 2+2 program admits 20 students focused on careers in food animal or mixed animal medicine in rural communities who spend their first two years at SDSU before arriving at CVM for the final two years of their DVM studies. 

“This partnership is an example of higher education at work when two land-grant universities come together to address a workforce need and develop a program that helps support animal health and food production industries to benefit the citizens of our respective states,” said Dennis Hedge, provost and vice president for academic affairs at SDSU. 

This year’s graduates join an alumni network of more than 4,000 veterinarians and nearly 1,000 scientists who have graduated from the College since its founding in 1947. Among them is Gabriella Fernández, who spoke at the ceremony on behalf of the 2025 DVM graduates. 

“We are more than just veterinarians; we are humans, we are healers, and we are teachers. We will connect with people from all walks of life,” she told her peers. “We can be there for people in a time of hurt and need. We must appreciate our service to both animals and the people who love them. We can move forward and apply what we learned here and impact the world for the better.”