Laura Acevedo

Laura Acevedo & Axl the emu

Laura Acevedo (’14) graduated cum laude with a B.S. degree in Pre-Veterinary Science and double minors in Psychology and Biology. She participated in the Commonwealth Honors College, graduating with great distinction. She hopes to apply her psychology minor towards improving relationships with veterinarians and clients and studying animal behavior. Laura will matriculate to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in August of 2015.

Laura worked as a student employee at the Hadley Livestock Barn where she cared for the animals as well as teaching other students about the farm. She was a teaching assistant for the freshman animal science courses for three years. Laura enjoys teaching and loves interacting with other students regarding topics they are mutually interested in.

The summer of 2013, Laura traveled to Gansbaai, South Africa on a self-funded trip to participate in research on Great White Sharks in the area. While working on the boat, Laura was responsible for tracking and identifying individual white sharks as well as aiding marine biologists with their area of study. This experience allowed her to participate in conservation research as well as establish international relationships with friends from different countries. Laura traveled to Belize for nine days during her senior year spring break to participate in the Tropical Field Biology program in Punta Gorda.

During the summers, Laura worked as a seasonal relief animal keeper at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ. Here, she was able to work with a variety of exotic animals. She hopes to work with exotic animals in a veterinary capacity and expand upon the experiences she has already had. Laura also volunteers in treating and rehabilitating wild and captive birds and has a special interest in birds of prey.

Laura was an Academic Success Coach at UMass; she taught freshmen about opportunities at UMass and helped them with the transition to college life. At home, she is a waitress at a local sushi restaurant and self-proclaimed Netflix extraordinaire. In her free time, she enjoys cooking (and eating) traditional Puerto Rican food, spending time with family and friends, and spending time with her lovebird, Peachy. Laura is excited about what the next couple of years have to offer.