Lakeshore Animal Health Partners (LAHP) hosts Take Our Kids to Work Day event

Annually on November 1st, Canadian workplaces across the country host grade 9 students for an immersive day focused on career exploration.

This year’s campaign theme was “Everyone Belongs Here” and we were honoured to welcome Pathways to Education with students from John Polanyi Collegiate Institute at Lakeshore Animal Health Partners (Mississauga, ON) to inspire and educate them on what a career in animal health may look like. Pathways to Education, a charitable partner of VetStrategy, provides youth living in low-income communities with academic, financial, social, and one-on-one supports to help them overcome barriers to education, graduate from high school, and build the foundation for a successful future.

As part of the event, LAHP team members spoke with students about their own education journeys and their career paths, hopefully inspiring students to explore animal health as an opportunity for their future. Practice Manager Kelly Retz wowed the students with a behind-the-scenes tour of the innovative emergency hospital, providing the group with the opportunity to observe a surgery in progress. Students also took part in a job shadowing activity, learning what a day in the life of an ACA, RVT, and DVM looks like.

The students from John Polanyi Collegiate Institute shared the following about their experience:

• “My favourite part of the day was watching the surgery performed”
• “I learned so much, and enjoyed exploring many different things, animals and processes. I loved hearing from the employees, as they taught me many things”
• “My favourite part of the day was seeing the cat being prepared for surgery. I hope she does well!”

As part of our commitment to the Positive Pawprint strategy, we will continue to explore ways to support people and communities through partnerships such as Pathways to Education.