Hands-on experience and big ambitions: Kayla Bhagaloo races toward veterinary medicine

Kayla Bhagaloo became a scientist in seventh grade when her squeamish best friend passed up an opportunity to dissect a frog during their life science class. 

As soon as Bhagaloo flipped its stomach inside out and saw the organ’s interior folds, she was amazed by structures she had only heard about in lectures.

“Before that, I’d never done biology,” Bhagaloo said. “I loved it.” 

The 20-year-old’s passion for hands-on learning sent her on a mission to become a leader in veterinary medicine. In May, the Sussex County native will complete the first leg in her higher education journey. 

Maximizing her time

Part of the first cohort accepted into Rowan University’s 3+4 pathway to a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, Bhagaloo raced through a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, minors in chemistry, neuroscience and advanced pre-health studies, and concentrations in pre-veterinary studies and veterinary medicine. That was all in addition to the Bantivoglio Honors Concentration.

“She hit the ground running,” said Matthew Bealor, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biological and biomedical sciences in the College of Science & Mathematics. 

He first met Bhagaloo when she interviewed for the opportunity to join Rowan’s accelerated program and became her mentor. She exceeded every benchmark, he noted, and recently earned a Medallion from the College of Science & Mathematics: the Robert N. Renlund Preprofessional Award in the Allied Health Field.

“Frankly, she is the finest intellectual mind and most mature and motivated young person I’ve worked with in 24 years,” Bealor said. “She’s an amazing problem-solver.” 

And she excels at finding experiential learning opportunities at every turn, he noted. 

A former competitive swimmer, Bhagaloo said she learned how to maximize her time at a young age, so she could exceed in her studies and in the pool. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted her freshman year of high school and her practice routine, Bhagaloo got her first dog, a Shih Tzu mix, and picked up volunteer work with a nearby dog training center. The experience exposed her to veterinarians, breeders, handlers and more dogs, pointing her toward a career working with animals.

In high school, she volunteered five days a week for a vet who used a snow plow to reach his clinic during bad winter storms. On her first day, she witnessed her first emergency case—a dog with a face full of porcupine quills. 

Getting to work

At Rowan, Bhagaloo didn’t just study science—she practiced it. She worked in three research labs, interned at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum and the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, and took on educational outreach while also co-leading Rowan’s fast-growing Pre-Vet Club. She thrived: learning by doing, contributing early, and gaining confidence.

Her resume includes work with an extensive variety of animals, from horseshoe crabs, fish and lizards, to exotic birds, livestock and horses.

In the lab of Natasha Shylo, Ph.D., Bhagaloo dove into work with chameleon embryos, learning about the earliest stages of their development.

“She’s a bit of a force of nature and I like working with people like that,” Shylo said. Described as “terrifyingly efficient,” Bhagaloo flew through boring tasks. She quickly recruited a friend and the two became Shylo’s “power team” as they set up the new lab.  

Focused on the future

Hands-on, experiential learning has pointed Bhagaloo toward even bigger goals: perhaps working globally in a specialty field, such as neurology or gastroenterology. She also wants to make an impact beyond her own personal achievements, perhaps by offering free rabies clinics in her father’s native Trinidad, or in the distant future, to become a leading voice in veterinary medicine, so she can teach younger generations. 

“I think she can do it,” Shylo said. “What’s rare in a person that young is her ability to truly, efficiently network and seize opportunities … that’s going to take her very far in life.” 

Rowan allowed Bhagaloo to set her own pace, giving her the freedom to explore those opportunities, Bhagaloo noted. It’s partly why she chose the institution and what led her to set even higher goals for herself. She was accepted by four veterinary schools, including Cornell University’s globally ranked College of Veterinary Medicine, where she’s heading next.    

“I’ve been able to build a lot of connections,” Bhagaloo said. “And I’m figuring out what I want to do.”

That’s on the advice of her grandfather, who reminded her: “At the end of the day, I’m not in school to be in school. I’m in school to get to the next part of my life.” 

Every spring, Rowan University highlights one graduating student from each school and college. Read more about this year’s featured graduates. Their stories show the ambition, purpose and creative collaboration that drive all Rowan students to Defy Definition.