Road to Graduation: Holly Mae Clark

For Holly Clark, graduation isn't just an ending, it's a homecoming. After three years at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, Clark is returning to a place that was part of her story long before vet school began. She has accepted a small-animal rotating internship at VCA Valley Animal Hospital and Emergency Center in Tucson, a hospital where she previously worked before starting her veterinary education.

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"It's especially meaningful to return to a hospital where I worked before veterinary school and continue learning alongside a team that helped shape my journey," she said.

That sense of continuity runs deep for Clark, who sees the internship as the next step in a long arc of growth, one she hopes will eventually lead her to a specialty in veterinary dentistry.

"I'm most excited to continue developing my skills through internship training while building lasting relationships with patients and their families," she said. "Looking ahead, I hope to pursue specialty training in veterinary dentistry and help improve the quality of life of as many animals as possible."

Her path toward that specialty was set in motion not in a classroom or a clinic, but at home with her cat, Cricket.

"When I adopted Cricket, she was suffering from severe gingivitis and periodontal disease," Clark said. "After receiving the dental care she needed, she was like a completely different cat."

Cricket's transformation left a lasting impression. The real-life positive implications of proper dental care became the lens through which Clark began to see the broader impact of veterinary dentistry.

"That experience opened my eyes to the importance of veterinary dentistry, and my experiences throughout veterinary school and clinical rotations have only reinforced that passion," she said. "I hope to help my patients experience the same dramatic improvements in comfort and well-being that Cricket did."