Focused on animals, humans and the environment, SEE grad heads to vet school

Jalynn Justice is a big proponent of “one health,” a concept that considers humans, plants, animals and the environment all connected in one large, intertwined, web of life.

Entering her final semester at Rowan University with a 3.55 GPA, Justice graduates this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in environmental science and a minor in biological sciences, degrees that have her well-prepared for entry this fall into the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine.

While at Purdue, Justice will also earn a master’s degree in public health as she works toward becoming a public health veterinarian. As such, Justice can focus on preventing and controlling diseases that might move between animals and humans and help to ensure the well-being of both.

A native of Sugar Land, Texas, about 40 minutes southwest of Houston, Justice is especially passionate about the health and welfare of beef cattle and believes that her veterinary career may center on them.

Justice knew since 8^th grade that she wanted to become a veterinarian, but a USDA program called AGDiscovery during the summer of 2019 cinched it for her.

“Through that program, I was able to explore veterinary medicine, plant health and agriculture,” she said.

She also excelled in a six-week summer program at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Ind., in 2023, that provided a clear link between her love of animals and an interest in protecting both them and humans from disease.

“We did a research presentation on how bovine tuberculosis spreads,” Justice said. “The disease is zoonotic, which means it can jump from animals to humans… There were some hard lessons but it showed me what it would be like as a vet student.”

Committed to research

Since transferring to Rowan from Trinity University in San Antonio in 2022, Justice has taken part in a variety of lab- and field-based research projects.

Working with Associate Professor Patrick Crumrine in the departments of Environmental Science in the School of Earth & Environment and Biological Sciences in the College of Science & Mathematics, she studied the health of turtle populations on campus, wading through Abbott’s and Rowan Ponds to catalog species.

“There are more than you’d think,” Justice said. “We tracked Red Eared Sliders, which varied in size from about the palm of your hand to maybe eight inches across, Eastern Painted, Red Belly, and snapping turtles. You want to avoid them.”

During her time on campus, Justice also ran track and served as a community assistant in 230 Victoria, an off-campus, Rowan-owned housing complex.

A South Jersian, twice removed

Though she grew up in Texas, Justice has direct ties to southern New Jersey and was happy for the homecoming of sorts when she enrolled at Rowan. Her grandmother on her mother’s side is from Pennsville and a great uncle, Gene Foster, grew up there before leaving for a playing career in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.

Having grown up in a family that loves dogs, and having volunteered with the Houston SPCA Wildlife Center, Justice believes that her love of animals, combined with a passion for the environment, meshed well with her undergraduate degree for a career in veterinary medicine.

“It gives me a unique perspective for vet school,” she said. “Through my undergraduate studies, I’ve learned so much about our impact on the environment and how it can affect our health.”