Alex Baum
“I knew I wanted to go out of state for college. When I saw an email from Austin Peay, I researched their pre-vet program and the city of Clarksville and absolutely fell in love! I had a strong feeling that this is where I wanted to be.”
Name: Alex Baum
Major: Agriculture (Pre-Veterinary)
Graduation year: 2024
Hometown: Belleville, Illinois
Campus involvement: Pre-Vet Club, The National Society of Leadership and Success, Pre-Professional Health
Society
In high school, while Alex Baum was getting swamped by recruitment brochures, postcards and emails from universities, one email stood out.
“I knew I wanted to go out of state for college,” the Belleville, Illinois, native said. “When I saw an email from Austin Peay, I researched their pre-vet program and the city of Clarksville and absolutely fell in love! I had a strong feeling that this is where I wanted to be.”
Baum started at Austin Peay in August 2020 and didn’t realize the full Austin Peay experience because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of her classes were online and most extracurricular activities were stifled by the pandemic.
“The start of my college career at Austin Peay was rough because of COVID,” she said. “It was difficult finding friends and getting involved.”
But with the university back to normal operations, “I can see the life that I never got to experience before,” she said. “I absolutely love being able to go back to in-person classes and experience fun events.”
Some of Baum’s favorite times on campus come during her walks around campus with her diabetes alert dog, Oakley.
“The campus is so beautiful, the weather is nice, and everybody is out having a fun time,” she said.
With college life closer to normal, Baum also is getting closer to her career goals.
“Not only does Austin Peay have outstanding classes that help me move toward my career goals, I have also learned to be independent and that I must work hard for what I want,” she said.
Related:
- Biology/Pre-Vet Student Brinna Lavelle trains hard and wins a Bronze Medal for USA
- Nursing Graduate Burkhart helps ICU patients battle COVID-19 at Vanderbilt.
- Jenny Hernandez decided to continue her degree at APSU becuase it felt like Home.
