Claire Welch reflects time spent at Tarleton

BY PAYTON MARKS / Multimedia Journalist

Claire Welch is a senior wildlife major at Tarleton State University. 

When asked why she chose to come to Tarleton, Welch made it clear that for her it was an important and easy decision. 

“I toured Tarleton, and I loved the fact that they had traditions and all these fun things to learn about and it was a community that I definitely wanted to be a part of,” Welch said. 

Welch was also eager to share her favorite thing about Tarleton. 

“I think my favorite thing about the school, if I had to choose one, is how many opportunities the campus offers, there are plenty of ways to get involved on campus,” Welch said. 

She also talked a little bit more in-depth about her major, what she’d like to do with it and how she ultimately decided that that was what she wanted to major in. 

“Well, I was more into the veterinary route in elementary school, and in middle school I got the chance to go and shadow over at a vet clinic but some of the vets weren’t so thrilled that I was a middle schooler watching them so I kind of decided to do something different after working with them,” Welch said. “So then I thought more about zoology and found out more about what it is because I thought it was just you go work in zoos and study animals and that’s it but it’s a lot more than that.” 

She talked about the amazing experiences that she had on her study abroad trip to South Africa.

“Three years ago, I did study abroad and I actually got to meet a zoologist and the interesting thing about them is their whole study was based around mice and fleas,” Welch said. 

Welch was super eager and passionate about discussing her time studying abroad. 

“It was through an outside program it wasn’t necessarily through Tarleton, and it was during COVID,” Welch said. “At that time, I was still associated with the Pre-Vet Society and had seen a post on their Facebook about a study abroad and I just randomly sent it to my mom, and she was like ‘go for it’. But we were there for three weeks and it was branded as vets in the wild but it wasn’t as veterinary oriented as I thought it was going to be. It was definitely an undergrad-oriented class,”

She talked about her favorite thing about the experience as well. 

“My favorite thing that I got to experience while there was definitely game capture and the best way I can explain it is you may have thirty Impala on one person’s property and they may want Impala on another person's property so the guy we were shadowing would go to the one property and collect as many as they needed then transport them to the other property,” Welch said. “It was cool because a big part of it was learning about animal behavior and studying what the animals do since it is an enclosed space, and they can’t just roam wherever they want. And it just became a weekly thing that we did.”

Welch loves Tarleton and being involved so much that she is involved in five on-campus organizations. 

“I’m a part of five currently and I don’t sleep anymore,” Welch said. “I’m in Tarleton Activities Board, PHOS College Ministry, Tarleton Equestrian team, P.A.N.K.U.S and Sigma Alpha and I just love how the organizations keep me busy and allow me the chance to stay connected and create relationships with people.” 

Welch also discussed how she thinks being involved in these five organizations has had an impact on her as a person. 

“I’ve definitely gained a lot of professional skills, for instance, Sigma Alpha is all about cultivating professional women in agriculture and it’s taught me how to shake a hand or have a good interview. Then organizations such as P.A.N.K.U.S have taught me how to carry myself with more confidence as well,” Welch said. 

When asked if any professors at Tarleton have had an impact on Welch, she said Dr. Sudman. “He teaches etymology and is retiring this year but he really knows his craft and it was such an intensive subject, but he taught it in such a way that it made it easy enough to follow. Besides that, I think everyone in the wildlife department is super welcoming,” Welch said. 

To close out the interview Welch gave a piece of advice to any soon-to-be graduates or new students. 

“Do your research, see what you can find that you enjoy but always be planning and preparing for the future. If you’re about to graduate think of it as ‘I’m getting closer to graduating so I’m going to start finding a job.’ Look for your opportunities and you’ll find them,” Welch said.