Sarah Harp

Having grown up on a family farm in central Ohio, I have been a part of the agricultural community my entire life. As I grew up surrounded by farmers and others invested in agriculture, I never questioned that I wanted to spend my life serving these hard-working people. Helping with the cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, and horses on our farm led me to pursue a career in veterinary medicine at an early age. My strong interest in science and medicine only emphasized this pursuit. With a background of working with farm animals, it has always been my ultimate goal to work within the food animal industry as a veterinarian.
That passion for food animal medicine led me to apply to the Early Commitment Program offered at The Ohio State University for undergraduate students interested exclusively in food animal medicine. It was a great honor to be one of the students accepted into this program in 2014. Following graduation with my bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences in 2016, I was admitted into The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and am currently completing my third year. I have embraced the rigorous challenge of veterinary school, and I am looking forward to my final year of clinics and solidifying what I have learned with continuous hands-on experience.
Following graduation with my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2020, I would like to make my career at the local farm level working with an assortment of food animals including dairy, beef, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Although I grew up with beef cattle rather than dairy, I have spent time working with veterinarians in the dairy industry and have enjoyed the experience immensely and am continuing to gain experience in this field. I look forward to being a community practitioner, and I plan to be involved in local agricultural organizations. My experience as a 4-H member was invaluable, and I hope to continue passing on that experience by working with local youth in both agriculture and shooting sports programs. I grew up heavily involved in the shooting sports through my competitive shooting with the Single Action Shooting Society, as well as through the 4-H Shooting Sports program, and I plan to continue educating youth about gun safety and the enjoyment of that sport.
As I work toward my goals, I treasure the opportunity I have been given to pursue my dreams, and I look forward to using my passion and experiences to give back to the agricultural community throughout my life.