Lauren Cabrera, founder of Saipan Humane Society, will study veterinary medicine at Washington State University and return to the CNMI as a veterinarian.
LAUREN Cabrera, Saipan Humane Society founder, has been accepted into Washington State University’s Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2029.
In an interview with Variety on Thursday, Dec. 19, she said she plans to return to the CNMI after graduation to fill the Commonwealth’s need for a veterinarian.
Cabrera said there are “2,500 applicants at WSU for 25 out-of-state student spots,” so she feels “incredibly lucky to have been chosen.”
She said there were many hurdles to overcome to be chosen as a veterinary candidate.
“There are only 33 accredited veterinary schools in the country, each with 100-150 students per graduating class,” she said. “There are over 10,000 applicants every year for these highly sought-after spots. The application process is grueling. My application was nearly 50 pages! I had to do many prerequisite courses to qualify. They also consider work experience, veterinary experience, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and more.”
Cabrera will leave for her studies in fall 2025.
She said she is part of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Professional Student Exchange Program, which allows students in underserved Pacific Island jurisdictions to “enroll in participating programs across state lines and receive substantial tuition support from their home state or territory,” its website states.
“The Professional Student Exchange Program for doctorate degrees in healthcare allows CNMI residents to enroll in cooperating out-of-state programs at in-state tuition costs, because those fields of study are not available in the CNMI,” Cabrera told Variety. “The CNMI Scholarship Office manages these programs. Funding for PSEP was cut a few years ago, but with the help of Sen. Jude Hofschneider, who pioneered the WICHE program here, the CNMI Scholarship office, and our local WICHE Commissioner Frankie Eliptico, the program was revived this year.”
The Saipan Humane Society is a grassroots organization that Cabrera and Ruby Ma founded.
Over the past year, SHS has facilitated spay and neuter clinics in collaboration with veterinarians from off island. SHS also facilitated wellness check-ups and pet vaccinations.
SHS staff has received training during these collaborations. To date, however, the CNMI still has no permanent veterinarian.
Cabrera said while she’s in the States, SHS will continue to offer pet health services to the community.
“The Saipan Humane Society team has been working hard to increase their skills and knowledge in order to be sustainable,” she said. “They have been doing an amazing job, receiving training from veterinarians and technicians at Banfield Foundation and recently from a team of visiting veterinary medicine staff from WSU! Also, Ruby Ma is in school to become a veterinary technician. Her program is quite grueling and she is learning a lot. I have no doubt that Saipan Humane Society will continue to serve the community as usual, with extra support from our visiting volunteer teams!”
Cabrera is also the animal health officer of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Animal Health Division.
“I have been working hard to build protocols and systems for our [Animal Health Division staff] to ensure services are uninterrupted when I’m off-island, and [I] plan to expand the training of our staff when I return on summer breaks so we can help more —specifically ranchers,” she said.
She said she was thankful for the support of her husband, Dr. Felix Cabrera.
“It will be a hard four years, especially because my kids are so young, but we have a great support network here which helps,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t be doing this without my husband cheering me on like he does.”
