Hometown: Centralia, WA
Undergraduate Degree: Foreign Languages & Cultures and Human Development (WSU)
Area of Interest: Small Animal General Practice
Ashley Phelps didn’t always plan to be a veterinarian. Already having earned her degree in foreign languages and cultures and human development from WSU, she was working at the Whitman County Humane Society when she had an epiphany.
“In rescue, you see both the best and worst of people and it can really harden your heart. I lost myself in caring only for the animals and resenting some of the people who hurt them,” Ashley said. “As I transitioned to working in general practice, I realized that you could have both a passion for helping animals, and a passion for connecting with and nurturing relationships with clients.
Having navigated two pregnancies in veterinary school, Ashley is also passionate about advocating for aspiring mothers in the veterinary field — the topic of her senior paper which she presented earlier this summer.
“As a predominantly female profession, this is something we absolutely have to talk about and be able to accommodate in school and in practice as people choose to grow their families,” said Ashley.
An aspiring small animal general practitioner, Ashley said she enjoys the variety veterinary medicine offers.
“From preventative care to sick patient workups, you have to really be creative and think through all possible treatment possibilities to meet the client where they are at,” she said.
After 12 years learning on the Palouse, Ashley plans to work at a small animal practice closer to her hometown of Centralia, Washington after graduation.
She won’t be going it alone though. Ashley, her husband Collin, her son Beckett, and her second baby, Emmett who is due in September will all be making the trek with their two dogs, four cats, and Syrian hamster.