This Friona native is among the weekend's WT graduates, pursuing a veterinary career.

West Texas A&M University graduates are looking back on four years of study with the university and the promise of the future as they graduate.

Friona native Angel Valencia will be among those graduates on Saturday, May 13, as a part of the university's 10 a.m. ceremony to be held in the First United Bank Center on the east end of the WT campus, celebrating obtaining her degree in Animal Science/Pre-Vet.

"I began in the fall of 2019, so I studied four years here at WT ... closing this chapter has definitely been bittersweet," Valencia said. "I was crying in a coffee shop on Thursday, thinking about the past four years at WT and that coming to an end, but I hope to make an impact as an alumni as I enter this new chapter and continue to learn."

Valencia said she is studying to become a veterinarian and has followed this dream since she was in kindergarten. However, her passion for animals was amplified after attending the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, held at George Mason University, as a freshman in high school. There, she met an individual who encouraged and inspired her to follow her dreams.

Valencia will complete her degree as the second graduate in the Johnny and Jana Trotter Agriculture Graduation Success Plan at WT, which will provide her a $40,000 scholarship to pay off her student debt.

"For me, this scholarship means not having to share finances with my parents as I enter the next step of my schooling. This gives me a clean slate entering vet school and peace of mind not having to rely on my parents," Valencia said.

The scholarship is not structured like typical scholarship programs, in that they offer some money every semester, per the donors’ wishes, to encourage students to finish their degree.

Following her graduation at WT, Valencia will then attend the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. After completing her schooling, Valencia plans to go back to her hometown of Friona and establish a clinic where she can give educational access to area children interested in the field.

"Growing up in Friona, I didn't get that vet experience because we didn't really have a vet who was working all the time. ... And so I want to be able to give students the opportunity to gain vet hours and learn more earlier in life so they don't have to start as late," Valencia said.

"WT has taught me that you are a big family. You're not against each other. You're trying to help each other to succeed, and that gave me a big community to lean on. And I want to continue to be that community for others," Valencia added.

WTAMU will host their commencement ceremonies Saturday at 10 a.m. for students from the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences; at 2 p.m. for students from the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences; and at 6 p.m. for students from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and the College of Engineering.

Each ceremony will be livestreamed at wtamu.edu/commencement.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT student shares experience, reflecting on graduation