They Told Her She'd Never Be A Vet. Wait 'Til You See Her Now.

The path to a dream is rarely a straight line. For Alena Brown, a first-year student at the brand-new Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University, it was more of a “bumpy road” filled with detours and unexpected climbs. But as she settles into her anatomy lectures and lab work, she knows every twist and turn—every cleaned cage, every rejected application, every moment of doubt—was preparation for this exact moment: becoming a foundational piece of veterinary education history.

Alena isn’t just a vet student; she is part of the inaugural class at New Jersey’s first and only veterinary school, a pioneer helping to build a program from the ground up. It’s a role that suits her perfectly.

“I’ve had to create my own path so many times before,” she says with a determined smile. “So I feel like Rowan is the perfect place for me to do that alongside my classmates.”

Her journey is a testament to three defining qualities: resiliency, determination, and empathy.

As an undergraduate without a pre-vet major or animal science courses on campus, Alena had to get creative. She networked relentlessly, talking to professors and starting at the bottom—literally—by cleaning kennels just to get her foot in the door. A pivotal meeting with an admissions counselor opened her eyes to a “One Health” approach, leading her to unique internships in infectious disease and COVID-19 research—and even with beetles.

After two application cycles ended in denial, a lesser spirit might have wavered. Not Alena. She doubled down, earning a Master’s in Veterinary Biosciences to strengthen her knowledge. “It’s the ability to bounce back and come up stronger,” she says.

That determination was forged, in part, by her hero: her father. “He never gave up on anything, no matter how hard it seemed,” she shares. His favorite saying, “Knowledge is power,” became her mantra. Though he passed away two years ago, his presence is felt everywhere here. “He loved Rowan and always kept me updated on campus news. He’d tell everyone, ‘My daughter is going to be a doctor!’ Well, Dad—you were right.”

Her resolve was supercharged by a life-changing adventure far from her New Jersey home. A study abroad trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, intended to focus on apartheid history, shifted when she volunteered at a care home. A nurse’s offhand comment about the healing power of animals—and the tragic lack of veterinary resources to safely bring them in—struck a chord.

“It sparked a desire in me to use veterinary medicine not only to serve my local community but also to make a global impact in under-resourced areas,” Alena explains.

Now, she’s channeling that global perspective into her studies at Rowan, where she’s excited to focus on veterinary dentistry and wildlife. She chose Rowan not just because it’s her in-state school or because she grew up just five minutes from campus, but for the chance to build something new.

“We get to start new clubs, create traditions, and shape the culture together as the first class,” she says. “And honestly, it’s pretty special knowing I’m part of the very first class… and one of the first African American women in the program. To me, that’s not just vet school, that’s history.”

The workload is intense, but Alena has learned to fiercely protect her downtime. She leaves work at work, decompresses with a hot shower and meditation, and unwinds with a good movie. It’s a practice born from past experience. “I found myself stressing out even while at home! So now I try to make sure I decompress and really just be with my family.”

Her hard-won advice for her younger self is something she now lives by: “HAVE FUN! I was so afraid to fail… and I truly regret not enjoying it as much as I could!” She also offers a powerful reminder to ignore the naysayers. “Keep pushing. There is so much light at the end of the tunnel, and you will be GREAT!”

As she looks toward a future of healing animals and serving communities both local and global, Alena’s story is more than one of personal achievement. It’s a blueprint for resilience—a reminder that the bumpy roads, with enough determination and heart, often lead to the most extraordinary destinations.