Ever since Berkley was a young girl she has ridden horses and shown them competitively. In order to ride and compete, Berkely had to learn quite a bit about feeding, grooming, and caring for horses. This hands-on experience inspired her in becoming a veterinarian.

With this long-term goal in mind, Berkley soon learned that taking math, physics, and chemistry in high school would be important in becoming a vet. Then when she went to the University of Nebraska, she concentrated on math and science courses as well. During Berkley's 3 1/2 years at the UNL, she worked at an animal clinic part-time and was President of the Pre-Vet club. Volunteering and working with animals gave Berkley the opportunity to see what her chosen career was all about.

Now the 23 year old native Nebraskan is enrolled in her first year of veterinarian school at Purdue, a top vet school in Indiana. Berkley's advice to students is to take advantage of extra-curricular opportunities in and out of school. School clubs and volunteer work will help you gain hands-on experience--no matter what your interests and abilities are.

If you know of a role model who has excelled in math, science and/or technology, please drop us a line at techQuest 2000