Through ARVA, Rogers Student Gets Early Start on Veterinary Career 

For Arkansas Virtual Academy student Jonah, a summer internship at the Animal Hospital of Centerton is providing a firsthand look at a career he has been considering for years. 

The 17-year-old rising senior from Rogers is spending part of his summer working alongside veterinary professionals, observing appointments and helping with basic tasks around the clinic. The experience is connected to his veterinary assistant career pathway at Arkansas Virtual Academy, where he took veterinary science his junior year and plans to pursue certification during his senior year. 

At the clinic, Jonah has seen what daily animal care looks like. One recent day, he helped the team prepare dogs for surgery, including assisting with handling and helping move an animal into place before the surgery began. Another day, he helped restrain dogs during a busy schedule of nail-trim appointments. 

For Jonah, the work has confirmed what he already likes about the field. 

“I just like the fact that you could just be with animals most of the day,” he said. 

Jonah’s interest in animal care was inspired in part by his older brother, who works as an animal keeper at a zoo in Mississippi. Jonah said he could see himself following a similar path. He is also considering work as a veterinary assistant or veterinary technician after high school while continuing his education online. 

It is an in-demand field in Arkansas, where new veterinary medicine programs at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and Lyon College in Cabot are expected to expand training opportunities in the coming years. Both schools aim to address a veterinarian shortage in the state. 

Jonah’s internship, which began in May, gives him class credit and could even lead to a job after he turns 18. His mother, Alyce, said the clinic has shared positive feedback about Jonah’s willingness to help. 

“He is willing to just jump in and help with anything that they need him to do,” she said. 

Flexibility and Focus 

Jonah joined ARVA at the beginning of his junior year, and his family says the online school has been a good fit, giving him the flexibility and focus he needs while allowing him to explore career interests. 

“I would say that it’s a lot more flexible,” Jonah said. “I would say it’s much easier to get work done as well because you don’t have the distractions of people in the class.” 

Jonah has continued participating in choir at Rogers Heritage High School while taking classes through ARVA’s Flex Program, through which students can set their own structures and schedules for learning. For Jonah, that means a clearer view of where his interest in animal care might take him next. 

ARVA’s career pathways are helping connect high school learning to real-world possibilities. In addition to veterinary science, students can enroll in career pathways including agriculture; arts, entertainment, and design; computer science; education; financial services; healthcare and human services; management and entrepreneurship; marketing and sales; and public service and safety. 

To learn more about ARVA’s career and technical education opportunities, visit our Career and College Prep page. 

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