Hometown: Oakland, CA
Undergraduate Degree: Nutritional Sciences (University of California, Berkeley)
Area of Interest: Small Animal General Practice
Kelly Fong’s father will tell you his daughter always had one primary goal – to care for animals as a practicing veterinarian.
“My dad likes to say, ‘You’ve only ever had one goal, one target in life – and that’s to be a veterinarian.’ And it’s true,” Kelly said.
Drawn to animals from an early age, Kelly has always felt called to care for and advocate on their behalf. Strengthening the human–animal bond, she said, is what inspires her most. Kelly hopes to help preserve that bond every day after graduation when she returns home to the Bay Area to work Modern Animal, a small animal general practice in Walnut Creek, California.
At the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Kelly has transformed her lifelong dream into practical skill. She credits the college’s communication course with shaping how she connects with clients, learning to ask open-ended questions and build lasting relationships.
Hands-on experiences – from second-year diagnostic challenges to third-year clinical problem-solving and spay block, and now fourth-year rotations – have allowed her to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings.
Just as impactful, she said, has been the consistently supportive faculty and clinicians dedicated to helping students grow.
Outside of clinics, Kelly said she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her partner, Sam, and their dog, Mason, along with puzzling, baking sourdough, and browsing “cute little shops” she probably doesn’t need to visit – but happily does anyway.