College of Veterinary Medicine: “CVM Connect – Student Session featuring DVM Candidate, Christian Gombio”
About the event
“Coming Home: The Vaniman Travel Grant, Culture and Veterinary Medicine” A presentation by Christian Gombio
Join us as Christian shares how the Vaniman Travel Grant made it possible to return home to Guam for the first time since 2019 – and how that experience reshaped his perspective on veterinary medicine. A Guam-born Filipino who left home in 2016 to pursue veterinary school, Christian has had limited opportunities to return home. The experience of veterinary school, coupled with the challenges of cultural displacement, prompted him to reconnect with the people, culture, and purpose that first inspired his pursuit of a DVM. In this presentation, Christian will reflect on his summer experiences, the role the Vaniman Travel Grant played in reconnecting with home, and how travel can deepen both veterinary learning and cultural understanding.