Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) senior Taylor Lorance has achieved something unprecedented in the university’s pre-veterinary program: acceptance into the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine without requiring an interview.
Lorance, who maintains a 3.9 GPA, was one of only 10-20 applicants nationwide to receive a pre-interview acceptance offer to UT’s veterinary program.
“It’s an incredible honor even to receive an offer to interview,” Lorance said. “Austin Peay State University has 100% prepared me and helped to further mold me into the student that UT wanted to offer that acceptance to.”
The Manchester, Tennessee native will join UT’s Class of 2029 this August and is, according to both Dr. Christy Webb, her academic advisor, and Dr. Manisha Gupte, who oversees her lab work, the first Austin Peay student pre-accepted without an interview in the history of the program.
Growing up on her family’s Black Angus cattle farm, Lorance knew from an early age that she wanted to become a veterinarian.
“My parents joke that it was all I would ever talk about as a small child,” she said. “As I grew up, it shifted from just being a dream to something I was going to make happen.”
At Austin Peay State University, Lorance has distinguished herself both academically and through research. She currently works in Gupte’s lab studying how high-fat diets affect cognitive function in zebrafish. Her research involves analyzing genomic data to identify genes associated with cognitive function, work that could have implications for both animal and human medicine.
“Our goal is to look beyond surface-level observations,” Lorance said. “By examining the genome, we can better understand the deeper implications of diet on cognitive function. I think it will set me up well as a veterinarian to look beyond what I see and will encourage me to dig deeper for underlying issues. And I’ve never had a chance to comb through an organisms genome before, so I was very excited to begin that research.”
Beyond her academic achievements, Lorance has been actively involved in campus life. She serves as president of Chi Alpha campus ministry, vice president of the Pre-Vet Club and Vet Tech Society, and holds membership in prestigious honor societies including Omicron Delta Kappa. She also teaches dance classes through the Community School of the Arts and is now giving back after her own experience with the grad school process, hosting workshops for juniors doing their own applications.
After completing her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, Lorance plans to pursue mixed animal practice, working with both large and small animals.
About the Austin Peay State University College of STEM
The Austin Peay State University College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences and physics.
Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine and government.
