Meet the Class of 2022: Tara Powers

Tara Powers holding a Dachshund.

As a child, Tara Powers dreamed of being an astronaut, but she decided the stars weren’t for her after she found space camp to be a bore. So, the then pre-teen from a Spokane family of engineers set off to find her own science. Tara is now a fourth-year veterinary student from St. George’s University completing her clinical rotation at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She hopes to return home and join a small animal practice in the Spokane area after graduation in May. “I’ve always loved animals and I even used to bring stray cats home as a kid, which got me in trouble,” Tara said. “So that combined with my nurturing personality is what steered me toward veterinary medicine.” 

Tara, who completed her undergraduate degree at WSU in pre-veterinary zoology,  has two dogs – Static, a mixed-breed, and Ludwig, a mini dachshund named after a German king – and one cat, Moria, a sphynx named after an ancient, underground land in the “Lord of the Rings.” Tara admits she is a “Lord of the Rings nerd,” but she enjoys just about any story of adventure and fantasy. She’s re-reading “The Wheel of Time” series now, but she also enjoys video games like the “Elder Scrolls Online” and “The Witcher” on the gaming PC she built with her husband, CJ. 

Tara, CJ, and the dogs enjoy the outdoors. One of their destination spots is No Name Lake north of Spokane. “It’s our favorite,” Tara said. “Usually, if you go you are the only one there.” Tara said the No. 1 thing she will miss about Pullman is the welcoming atmosphere on the Palouse.