Overcoming fear of dogs has this prevet graduate headed to vet school

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As a child growing up in Freehold, New Jersey, Jhanae Jubilee was afraid of dogs. Like deathly afraid.

Along the way, she managed to push through those fears and now ironically graduated this spring from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in animal and veterinary sciences with a preveterinary and science concentration. After taking a gap year, Jubilee plans to attend veterinary school.

“I didn’t think I wanted to be a vet until my junior or senior year in high school,” Jubilee said. “When I was little, I was very, very scared of dogs. I was terrified of dogs. The fact that I’m pursuing veterinary medicine now is extraordinary.”

As a youngster, when Jubilee would visit her friends, they would have to put their dogs in the garage so she could enter the house, no matter what size dog it was. Eventually, she became fed up with being afraid, so she forced herself to start being around the canines, letting them sniff her hand.

“I was trying to become more comfortable being around animals so that it wasn’t such a hassle for myself and for others,” she said. “The more I started hanging around dogs, I started to grow a passion for them.”

For her 13th birthday, her parents bought her a dog, with the one requirement being that it was her job to take care of it.

“They held me to that,” Jubilee said. “Every vet appointment, I was there, every grooming appointment. I had an allowance and whatever money I had I would use it for buying dog food.”

She eventually became fascinated by watching the doctors care for her dog during visits. She would always ask them questions.

“It came to me that I actually might want to pursue a career in this,” she said. “Working with animals my first semester at Clemson kind of solidified that I was enjoying what I was doing.”

In choosing which university to attend, Jubilee was looking for somewhere with a good agricultural base where she could work with large and small animals. A friend of one of her mom’s coworkers was an alumna of Clemson and brought her down for a tour. Two things stood out to Jubilee: how connected the alumni program was and learning that in the vet program she could work with animals during her first semester.

“Working with large animals can be intimidating at first, but at the same time, I enjoy a challenge,” Jubilee said. “For me, it was more exciting than scary. I think the horses are what intimidated me the most because that’s a very large animal and I had never worked with horses before. I had a little fear but I think I was more excited at that moment.”

Jubilee also took the opportunity to get involved in several clubs and organizations. Some of those include Clemson Club Cheer, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, the Chick-fil-A Club, the Women’s Llifting Club, the Council of Diversity Affairs, the Clemson Running Club and she was president of the Poultry Science Club and the Pre-Veterinary Club.

“I think the club cheerleading was my favorite,” she said. “It was a way to get a break from all the academic stuff. I was a cheerleader all through elementary, middle school and high school. Being able to keep doing the sport that I love and meeting great people were my favorite things. We traveled to Daytona Beach (Florida) and competed for nationals. That was exciting.”

During her gap year, Jubilee plans to return to New Jersey and work for a year as a veterinary technician. She has offers from two veterinary hospitals.

After that, she plans to attend veterinary school. Schools of interest include Clemson and Rowan University, both of which are starting new veterinary schools, the University of Georgia, Ohio State University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Florida and Ross University.

“Jhanae Jubilee is a highly motivated student who demonstrates exceptional dedication both in the classroom and the laboratory,” said Qing Liu, Clemson assistant professor of biological sciences. “Her strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity and commitment to learning are evident through her active participation in class discussions and her consistent academic performance. In the lab, Jhanae approaches experiments with precision and enthusiasm, quickly mastering techniques and contributing meaningfully to group projects.”

After graduate school, Jubilee would like to specialize in either emergency and critical care or radiology during an internship and residency. Her long-term goal is to open her own practice.

“Through my years of being here, I think I just got better and better at becoming a well-rounded student,” Jubilee said. “I honestly wouldn’t trade my experience at Clemson for the world. I learned a lot about myself and became a better student.”