MONACA, Pa. — Cora Mankevich didn’t think twice about where she was going to go to school after her graduation from Freedom Area High School in 2018. Penn State Beaver was her first choice.
In fact, Beaver campus was her only choice.
“I didn’t even apply anywhere else,” she said. “I love the campus.”
Mankevich was familiar with Beaver campus because her older brother, Lane, started at Beaver as part of Penn State’s 2+2 program.
“My brother was the biggest influence, but I love Penn State,” she said.
She said she also knew she was going to major in biology.
“I loved the professors. They’re amazing,” Mankevich said, adding she appreciated the small class sizes and that her professors were very open and accessible.
Even as a commuter, Mankevich was very engaged with the campus. She said she made friends quickly and spent time on campus between classes and for events. She was a member of the Biology Club and spent time working out in the gym and taking yoga classes.
She also completed an internship at the Carnegie Science Center where she worked in the habitat and animals area with turtles, frogs, snakes and Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
After graduating from Penn State in 2021, Mankevich initially worked in pharmaceutical sales. She said her education helped her because she knew the biology and correct vocabulary and understood how medications would work in the body.
But after some time, she realized pharmaceutical sales was not where her heart was.
“It was something I wanted to try, but I loved the animals at the Science Center,” she said.
She began looking for jobs focused on animals or research, and in May of 2023 she landed a job as a veterinarian assistant with Pet Vet 365 in Cranberry Township, where she still works.
“It’s been really good,” she said of her job experience so far. “We’re fear-free. We use pheromones, carpet and treats. We take our time, and our customers appreciate that.”
As a veterinarian assistant, she cannot diagnose or treat patients but she performs a lot of the same work a technician does. Mankevich said she takes patient history at the start of an appointment, can draw blood, help monitor anesthesia and monitor pets post-surgery. She said her education at Penn State Beaver prepared her for her current job.
“All of the professors taught me everything I needed to know about systems — the heart and lungs, basic biology and math,” she said.
Mankevich said she plans to continue to work in the veterinary field and is currently in school to become a veterinary technician, which will allow her to do more work with animals including adjusting anesthesia amounts and treating and understanding animal behaviors.