Yoonjin Moon

Yoonjin Moon

Yoonjin (’18) is currently pursuing a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Science with a minor in Biology. Yoonjin entered UMass as an undeclared major and as part of the Commonwealth Honors College. Although she initially considered majoring in English or Comparative Literature, she returned to her original love for animals by declaring as an Animal Science major. She began the Animal Science curriculum at the beginning of her sophomore year and immediately knew that she had made the right decision.

In her freshman year, Yoonjin participated in the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) program and worked under Dr. Lynn Adler of the Biology Department. Based on the research conducted with bees in Dr. Adler’s lab, Yoonjin, with two other lab members, presented their project “Genetic variation in Crithidia bombi response to anabasine” at the 2014 FYRE Conference. Yoonjin continued her work in the Adler lab through the summer of 2015, where she assisted with the execution and planning of multiple projects.

Yoonjin participated in the Dorset Sheep Management class in her sophomore year. She also participated in the Bay State Livestock Classic with her lamb. This experience taught her how to show a sheep, in addition to all the preparation and care required for a single show. The Classic is what sparked Yoonjin’s interest in showing and judging which she pursued further with her participation in NESA. In the NESA competition of 2017, Yoonjin placed 5th (out of over 200 competitors) in the Individual Livestock Judging portion and 9th with her team in the Quiz Bowl portion. She hopes to exceed these accomplishments in 2018.

Following her sophomore year, Yoonjin interned at the Westford Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center. She enjoyed the fast pace of the emergency clinic as well as the patient-doctor interactions she observed in the internal medicine and oncology departments. Her favorite part of her internship was the rotations in which she worked with the surgery team. She enjoyed scrubbing in to various surgeries, including TPLOs, amputations, and ligament sutures. “Speaking to patient owners made the patient more ‘real’ to me. In addition, seeing how veterinarians handled difficult patients helped me realize how important customer service skills are. The rotations I did in the surgery department are the main reason I felt that this major and this field was right for me.”

During her junior year, Yoonjin especially enjoyed Dairy Calf Management despite the early morning shifts! “This class helped me become a morning person – the best thing to see in the morning are cute baby cows!” During her two semesters in DCM, Yoonjin took the opportunity to learn about and get hands on experience with vaccinations, dehorning, ear tagging, and diet management for young calves. She continues to visit the calves in her free time. Also in her junior year, Yoonjin joined the Mager Lab headed by Dr. Jesse Mager of the VASCI department. She started off learning basic lab tasks, but began preparation of materials for her senior honor’s thesis during her second semester in the lab. She is currently working on her senior thesis and is a recipient of a Fall 2017 UMass Commonwealth Honors College Honors Research Grant.

Yoonjin is a co-leader of the Animal Science Peer Mentors group and is excited that she will be able to help guide underclassmen on their way through UMass. During the semester, she works as a Residential Life Student Customer Services Associate. She has a border collie-black Labrador mix named Ella (not pictured), who loves belly rubs, treats, and her futon.