In this recurring monthly special, Nonahood News will be featuring those who’ve graduated from Lake Nona High School and will recognize the achievements they’ve made since. Some will have been a part of the first graduating class. Others might have graduated a few years later. Few have stayed in the Lake Nona area, and many have explored the world or are still doing so. Let’s see where life’s journey has taken them so far!
Age: 23
Year Graduated: 2013
Occupation: Veterinary Technician
Current Location: Orlando
Alexa Phillips moved to the Lake Nona area back in 2004 because of her father’s job.
“My father is a Southwest Airlines pilot! We were originally living in Massachusetts, and he was based in Baltimore, Maryland … not exactly a convenient commute, so he was looking to relocate for a new base airport. One of the options was Orlando! Lake Nona is so conveniently located to the Orlando International Airport, and my parents fell in love with the area!”
While a student at Lake Nona High, Phillips knew what she wanted to do with her future and had to seriously dig through colleges to find her perfect school.
“I always knew I wanted to major in animal sciences with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. Being a nationally competitive baton twirler, I always knew I also wanted to be a feature twirler at a major university. Finding a school that offered both of these personal goals was definitely a challenge during my time at Lake Nona High.”
Before Phillips graduated in 2013, she managed to achieve both of her post-high school goals, and her future became even more clear.
“I applied to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, where I knew not only were both of my desired collegiate needs available to me, but both the agriculture and twirling program were two of the most prestigious in the country! I auditioned at Purdue in February of 2013, during my senior year, where I was lucky enough to be awarded the ‘Golden Girl’ scholarship position,” Phillips described. “This is a huge honor and a valued tradition that goes back to the 1950s. The following fall, I made my debut as Purdue’s 28th Golden Girl, and began my journey to earn my bachelor’s degree in animal science.”
Although her college years were described to me as truly memorable years, the amazing and life-changing moments led to some struggles and hardships as well. Phillips explained that she had no idea how challenging the year after graduating from Purdue would actually be.
“Upon graduating in May of 2017, I earned a Graduate Assistantship at Louisiana State University. Here, I thought I would continue my education by earning a master’s degree in animal science. Unfortunately, life threw me a curve ball and I only ended up at LSU for one fall semester. While at LSU, our focus was in equine endocrinology and reproduction, so I found an internship that would focus on the ‘real life’ aspect of equine reproduction,” Phillips continued. “In the spring of 2017, I traveled to the very small town of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, where I accepted a six-month foaling internship. Although I have been around horses my whole life, I had very minimal experience with young ones. While I was there, I independently delivered over 30 standardbred foals, which was so exciting for me!”
That exact moment led to some reminiscing on Phillips’ end. “I actually remember writing a paper at Odyssey Middle School about how, when I grew up, I wanted to ‘deliver horse babies,’ so it was fun being able to do just that for six months!”
When asked about where she saw herself in the next five years, she took a moment to really ponder what her future had in store for her. “That is such a hard question because a year ago, I would have never thought I would be where I am today! I could see my career path going in two directions: Path one would be to go back to school (again) and to vet school; path two would be to work in animal health sales within a pharmaceutical company!”
After focusing on her future, we discussed what her current goals were, and she mentioned having just accepted a veterinary technician position at Nona’s Ark Animal Hospital right here in Lake Nona after a month of job searching.
“On another note, even after 15 years of competitive baton twirling, I am not done yet! For the first time, I have qualified to compete internationally in the WFNBTA [World Federation of National Baton Twirling Associations] Grand Prix event that will take place in Limoges, France, in August of 2019! From being the Lake Nona High School Feature Twirler, Lake Nona Color Guard Captain, and Purdue University’s Golden Girl, so many years of hard work have contributed to this accomplishment. I can’t wait to represent Team USA for the very first time next summer!”
Another feat worth mentioning was her recent trip to South Africa to further her veterinary medicine experience. Phillips always knew she wanted to participate in a mission trip focusing on animals and medicine. Originally considering Central America, she admitted that the more she thought about it, she figured why not experience an entirely new continent she had yet to travel to. Also, instead of focusing on small animals as she had originally planned, she decided to learn about a completely different aspect of veterinary medicine. So, in September of this year, Phillips hopped on a very long series of flights, 24 hours to be exact, and found herself in the safari for a three-week wildlife veterinary medicine Vet-X course.
“This was, without a doubt, THE experience of a lifetime! I had the privilege of being up close and personal to animals that most people only get to see in zoos! Just to name a few, this includes elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, rhinos and a wide variety of antelope species. I had the time of my life in South Africa, and I know I made memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life!”
Written for current and future Lake Nona alumni by a Lake Nona alumna. Check back in to our January issue to learn about our next Nona graduate(s)!
