The Dean’s Leaders Program, sponsored by the Office of Community Belonging and Well-being, is designed to advance academic readiness, professional success, and leadership skills. 

This cohort-based program is supported by the deans, faculty, and staff of the College through community-building, well-being activities and mentorship, along with academic, professional, and leadership development.

Initially envisioned by Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D.’94, the DLP was designed as a meaningful way to prepare and support students from diverse backgrounds as they embarked on their veterinary education. 

Tristen Ventura, D.V.M. '30 from Lynbrook, NY

Q: Why did you do the Dean’s Leaders Program (DLP)? 

As a first-generation student, DLP felt like a safe place to bridge my current lived experiences with fellow classmates and faculty to begin to find my place in the college. DLP became a great place to relieve many of my worries about entering veterinary school while building connections along the way. 

Q: Why did you decide to pursue a D.V.M. degree? 

For me, being a veterinarian means not only caring for animals in a clinical setting but also serving as a translator of sorts that helps people understand and appreciate the amazing creatures around them. Whether it's through educating a family about their pet or contributing to research that improves animal health, I want to serve as an advocate for a human-animal bond that feels impactful. Additionally, as the first in my family to pursue a doctorate, I am proud to carry my family name into a new space and build upon the opportunities that brought me here. 

Q: What are your veterinary career goals? 

I am very passionate about aquatic medicine and a potential specialty. My previous experiences included lots of aquarium work and rehabilitation for aquatic animals. I hope to continue this work as a clinician but also to explore more areas of aquatics that are unfamiliar to me such as marine mammal care. I also love research and would like to contribute to an understudied area such as marine invertebrate medicine. My dream career path would be to pursue a specialty such as ophthalmology and take these skills to aquariums and rehabilitation facilities across the country. 

Q: What were some of your favorite things from DLP experience? 

Two of my favorite sessions include our personal finance session and the career development workshop. Additionally, our clinical and research shadowing week was super fun because I got to spend time in Cornell’s hospital early and discover my excitement for ophthalmology. Some of my favorite activities included our coffee chat with the new dean, dinner with upperclassman DLP students, and our weekly faculty dinners. 

My favorite element of the DLP experience was the connections I made with fellow students who experienced the program with me. It was nice to develop a network of friends to support me early. 

Q: What was something you learned at the DLP? 

I learned to ask for help in anything that is worrying me. It’s something that sounds simple, but when it comes down to it for small things such as not understanding the terminology used in the classroom or wanting to cater my resume to a specific job it becomes easy to try to deal with it all on your own. DLP not only taught me how to ask for help but directly handed me the resources to do so. 

Q: Was there anything that surprised you about the experience? 

I was surprised by how much all the professors, alumni, faculty, and clinicians desired to speak with us. Many of the faculty we worked with took extra time to continue to answer questions or finish up a presentation that was running over time. The community here is excited to learn about you and see you grow. They made me feel like my dream of working with manatees as a specialty isn’t actually as impossible as I originally thought! 

Q: As you enter into your first year of veterinary medicine, what are your hopes and/or goals? 

I hope to continue to enjoy my first year as much as I did during this summer program. I’m nervous about starting class, but excited to finally do it with people similar to me. I hope to find my niche within the college through connecting with aquatic faculty and finding people who can help guide me. I am also thrilled to begin planning for next summer as I continue to explore more of what Cornell has to offer such as Aquavet or Expanding Horizons. I am keeping an open door to see what happens.