Haley and Kaley Daniels Fulfilling Childhood Ambitions
Haley and Kaley Daniels are identical twin sisters. They wear matching clothing, room together, take the same classes and have exactly the same career aspirations. The Wilmington College juniors are on a fast track to becoming veterinarians — you guessed it — in a shared practice.
PICTURED: Haley and Kaley Daniels inspect one of the College's cattle herd at WC's academic farm.The 18-year-old sisters from West Union arrived at WC in August with associate’s degrees from Southern State Community College earned even before graduating from West Union High School. Both enrolled in WC’s pre-veterinary medicine curriculum with a major in agriculture and an animal science concentration, along with a minor in biology.
There’s nothing indecisive about these two. They’ve known what they wanted to do since they were young children.
“Ever since anybody asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I’ve wanted to become a veterinarian,” Kaley said, noting the great appeal of visiting farms in their rural community to care for families’ animals and ensure healthy livestock herds.
“I can’t picture myself doing anything else, especially something like a desk job,” Haley added. “I’ve always loved working with animals — it seems like the right fit.”
The sisters fondly recall growing up with regular visits to their grandparents’ farm, which prominently featured cattle and horses. Following their education, they plan to start a large and small animal veterinary practice in Adams County, “which is where we come from,” Haley said.
The high-achieving students are enjoying Wilmington College’s hallmark for personal attention and hands-on learning experiences, something that has impressed them since their first visit.
“Wilmington was the last college we visited,” Haley said. “I wasn’t really sure about those we saw before, but after we visited Wilmington College, I was sure.”
So was Kaley.
“When we walked in, everybody was really welcoming and friendly — then we went out to the College Farm,” she said, noting their decisions were sealed when they viewed the pastoral setting of the agricultural learning laboratory and the animals they’d be working within their animal science curriculum.
“I like the hands-on aspect,” Kaley added. “I like that the College is small and you can just walk into your professor’s office and get what you need.”
One of those faculty members they’ve seen a lot in the past several months is Harold Thirey, a long-time agriculture professor and alumnus of the program. He teaches most of the animal science courses, including a new course the twins are taking this semester called Veterinary Medicine and Careers in Animal Science.
In October, Thirey took two-dozen agriculture students, many of whom are members of the student organization, Veterinarians of Tomorrow, to visit the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University.
The Daniels twins’ vision for their future became even more real as they toured the veterinary hospital and associated teaching facilities.
“We spoke with OSU students who were our guides,” Kaley said. “They gave us advice on how to get into vet school, especially how to make your applications stand out.”
The sisters are sold on attending the leading veterinary college at OSU as their “two-year focus” on agriculture and biology at WC helps prepare them for their future in veterinary medicine, which Thirey is convinced will be a successful one.
“These young ladies are two of the best,” Thirey said. “They are bright, intelligent and highly motivated, and I have every confidence they will achieve their goals.”