Veterinary School Student Shares Time, Talent on Campus
Now a second-year veterinary school student at Iowa State University, Tyler Oberreuter gives back to BVU by speaking to students through the "Alum in Residence" program.
For nine months following his BVU graduation, Tyler Oberreuter ’18 drove a truck, delivering propane. It wasn’t where Oberreuter, a veterinary medicine/biology major, envisioned he’d start his career.
“I worked 60 hours per week throwing propane tanks and hauling loads of tanks,” says Oberreuter, a Beaver tight end during his football playing days from 2014 to 2017.
On the day his high school alma mater, Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove (OABCIG), played for a state football title this fall, Oberreuter found himself at BVU, an outgrowth of an “Alum in Residence” initiative directed by BVU Career & Leadership Development; all the while keeping a promise to his adviser, Dr. Lisa Mellmann, BVU associate professor of chemistry.
"All the things I did at BVU really prepared me for veterinary school. It’s important for me to give something back.”
Tyler Oberreuter
“I’m here today because of Dr. Mellmann,” Oberreuter says during a presentation to freshmen STEM students. “Dr. Mellmann advised me all the way through BVU. As a freshman, I told her I wanted to graduate early from BVU and get into veterinary school. She encouraged me to stay at BVU for four years.”
Oberreuter didn’t follow Mellmann’s advice on that question. “She was right. I was wrong,” he admits. “My point: Listen to your professors.”
One byproduct of cramming an undergraduate experience into 3.5 years was a 3.0 grade-point average for Oberreuter, a level not quite high enough for immediate acceptance into the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Science. So, Oberreuter began trucking until he gained admission to a veterinary school in the Cayman Islands. Three semesters there, coupled with a sharpening of study habits developed late in his BVU career, allowed Oberreuter to boost his GPA to meet ISU specifications.
His hard work paid off. Oberreuter, now a second-year veterinary school student at ISU, says, “I’m finding at Iowa State the research opportunities and the teaching at BVU are both awesome. The facilities on campus and the experience you can get off campus during your undergraduate days at BVU are phenomenal. I’m here to ask you to take advantage of all that BVU has to offer.”
BVU allowed Oberreuter to develop close ties with his professors, including Mellmann. Working at Lake Animal Hospital in Storm Lake put this Beaver in close contact with Dr. A.A. Stepan, a friendship that continues to grow.
Oberreuter joined Stepan for coffee at Common Grounds before speaking with Mellmann’s class. A second presentation to BVU’s Pre-Vet Club followed. At day’s end, Oberreuter, still wide-eyed at the incredible renovation of Siebens Forum, curled up with his laptop in the Cordell ’63 and Sandra Peterson Fireside Lounge, making himself comfortable as he watched as his OABCIG Falcons claimed their first state title.
“I hate missing the game, but I couldn’t break my commitment to Dr. Mellmann,” Oberreuter says. “She was so good in writing to others about my leadership, my class participation, my community involvement. All the things I did at BVU really prepared me for veterinary school. It’s important for me to give something back.”