May 6, 2024
Contact: Courtney Perrett, 573-882-6217, cperrett@missouri.edu
With his great-grandparents, grandparents and parents having attended the University of Missouri, Ben Greer was proud to carry on his family’s legacy by furthering his education at Mizzou.
Growing up in rural southwest Missouri, Greer often followed around and looked up to his dad, a veterinarian who had received his doctorate in veterinary medicine from Mizzou in 1985.
Seeing firsthand the impact his dad had helping animals and the need for large animal veterinary care in his hometown, Greer is ready to take the knowledge and skills he learned at Mizzou the past four years and return home to serve his local community.
Read on for a Q&A with Greer about his Mizzou experience.
How did you take advantage of hands-on learning opportunities on campus?
As part of my classes, we went out to several locations in mid-Missouri to learn about dairy cows, cattle and pigs. We also got to help out at a few local animal shelters.
What was your favorite class?
My favorite class in the veterinary school was an anatomy course. It was something I excelled at, and I enjoyed learning about all the different parts of the anatomy, how the systems worked, and how to put it all together for the big picture.
What is your favorite Mizzou memory?
My favorite Mizzou memory is watching the Cotton Bowl this past December. I was rooting for the team throughout my four years here, and it was cool to see them have so much success during my final year at Mizzou.
What would you tell someone who's interested in coming to Mizzou?
For those thinking about attending Mizzou, I would say: Prepare to work hard and have fun as well. From my time here at Mizzou, I have learned to become a scholar, look for the right answers, be truthful in what I do and be diligent in my work. Mizzou has helped me out a lot by providing me with experiences and resources so that any time I run into a hurdle, I am able to overcome the obstacle. Mizzou has a great group of people here who have helped me achieve my goals.
What's next for you after graduation?
After graduation, I will be returning back to southwest Missouri to practice large animal veterinary medicine — primarily working with beef cattle, dairy cows, horses and pigs. Being from southwest Missouri, it is important to me to go back home and serve the community that shaped me because I know a lot of people there, and there is a huge need for large animal veterinary practices. Providing them with access to affordable veterinary care and improving the health of those animals is important to me.
How has Mizzou helped you achieve your goals?
Everything I learned at Mizzou will help me figure out how I am going to treat, diagnose and care for the large animals of southwest Missouri or wherever I end up. I take pride in coming from a university that is well-recognized and has a reputation for its graduates hitting the ground running.
I am also excited to share knowledge about the One Health concept, the idea that environmental health, human health and animal health are all tied together, and when one suffers, they all suffer. Mizzou helped me see that through my coursework, and I learned that prevention is worth more than a cure. I am excited to take what I learned at Mizzou and make the world a better place.
Story written by Brian Consiglio
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