Vetting a Passion

ALEXIS NICOLE ZALLAS ’13 LEVERAGES A PASSION FOR SCIENCE AND ANIMALS AS A VETERINARIAN

From a young age, Alexis Nicole Zallas ’13 knew she wanted to become a veterinarian. Her parents figured that she, like most kids, would move on to something else, but to their surprise, Zallas never gave up her dream.

In middle school, her favorite science class included dissecting a goat heart. “We got to stick our fingers in the different major vessels leading into the heart,” she recalls. “It was so cool.”

During high school, she enrolled in pet first-aid classes at BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital (then Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center of New England). Fast-forward several years and Zallas makes her way to Regis, where she enrolls as a biology major with the ultimate goal to attend veterinary school.

“I was astounded by how multicultural Regis was—with so many international students and people from all different backgrounds. That, coupled with small classes that required a lot of talking, collaborating, and group projects, is what helped me learn how to quickly build relationships with my clients in the ER.”

Zallas is also grateful to have participated in the Regis Honors Program, which in addition to an academically rigorous honors curriculum, includes participation in community leadership, service, and opportunities for personal development through mentoring relationships.

After graduating from Regis as valedictorian of her class, Zallas went on to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2017 from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

Read the full story to learn how Regis helped Zallas fulfill her childhood dream and land a job as a veterinarian in the emergency department at BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital in Waltham, Massachusetts.