UMD Graduate Brings Research Rigor to Veterinary Medicine

Kaavya Suresh (B.S. ’26, biological sciences) dreams of a career treating cats, dogs and dolphins. 

Kaavya Suresh’s (B.S. ’26, biological sciences) path to veterinary medicine started with the movie “Dolphin Tale.” The 2011 film follows an injured dolphin that is rescued and transported to a marine hospital, where it might need to have its tail amputated to survive. After watching the movie as a kindergartner, Suresh told her parents that she wanted to rehabilitate injured dolphins for a career. 

Now, the May graduate from the University of Maryland is closer to her dream than ever. In the lab and the classroom, Suresh spent the last four years deepening and expanding her interests in animals and biology. She also sharpened her animal care skills working at local rescues, clinics and the campus farm. 

With her bachelor’s degree now in hand, Suresh is applying to veterinary school. In the future, she hopes to integrate her passion for cutting-edge scientific research into her practice. 

“I’ve always been fascinated by biology. I think it’s the most magical thing ever,” she said. “Combining my interests with science and my love for animals just seems like the perfect career for me.”

Suresh’s love for animals began at a young age. In elementary school, she begged her family for a dog or a cat. But they didn’t have the space in their small apartment, so they compromised and got three fish, named Zebra, Tomato and Tango. 

“I loved them to bits and pieces,” Suresh said. 

Suresh’s parents fostered her interest in animals and steered her toward science. From third to eighth grade, Suresh attended Butler Montessori, an independent, private school in Darnestown, Maryland. The self-described “green school” is situated on a 22-acre property with organic farms, pollinator gardens and winding nature trails. Suresh fondly remembers taking care of the chickens on the farms and volunteering with her classmates at the animal shelter.

As she grew up, Suresh’s interest in animals broadened into a deeper appreciation of biology. So when she got to the University of Maryland, rather than focus her studies specifically on animals, she majored in biological sciences and participated in the First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE) program.

“I was thrilled,” she said. “I loved having the opportunity to do our own research as freshmen.” 

For her FIRE project, advised by FIRE Faculty Leader and Assistant Clinical Professor Cherisse Hall, Suresh used state-of-the-art lab techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9 to study how the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes urinary tract infections. She loved the experience so much that she became a peer research mentor for younger cohorts in the program. 

“I met some of my best friends in FIRE. They were my rock during all my really hard STEM classes,” she said. 

Suresh continued to conduct research during her junior and senior years with Entomology Associate Professor Megan Fritz, investigating how moths evolve resistance to a genetically modified strain of corn, called Bt corn, that is engineered to produce a compound that kills pests. She spent a winter break researching the effects of boat traffic on humpback whale songs in Mexico with researchers from San Diego State University and also spent several semesters as a teaching assistant for BSCI222: “Principles of Genetics.” 

Outside the lab and classroom, Suresh honed her skills in animal care, working as a veterinary assistant at Canal Clinic in Potomac, Maryland and volunteering to manage social media for Laila’s Legacy Animal Rescue. 

Additionally, she worked as a shift leader for the horse barn on the UMD Campus Farm. Several times a week, she led a team of students in feeding and grooming the horses and cleaning their stalls. She also tended to the animals when they had minor cuts and wounds. 

“The big thing was making sure they were all happy and healthy, because horses tend to get themselves into some nasty situations,” she said. 

Still, as much as Suresh loved animals, she also loved research, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to become a veterinarian until she visited the Georgia Aquarium about a year and a half ago. There, she saw a presentation from the dolphin veterinary team and was impressed by how they integrated scientific research with medicine. 

“It really clicked for me that this was definitely what I want to do career-wise,” she said. 

Now, Suresh hopes to chase her dream in veterinary school. Her love for pets hasn’t dwindled—she recently adopted a cat, Olive, from Laila’s Legacy—and she’s interested in working with companion cats and dogs, as she does now at Canal Clinic. As a “Dolphin Tale” fan, though, Suresh still wants to live out her childhood dream. She plans to get her aquatic certification in veterinary school to work with animals in zoos and aquariums.

She said that UMD, thanks to its on-campus resources and local community opportunities, was the perfect place to prepare her for that next step. 

“All the faculty I’ve met at UMD and all of my friends have been amazing,” she said. “I would go to Maryland a hundred times over if I could.”