Barbie Papajeski, MS, LVT, RLATG, received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with an emphasis in Veterinary Technology and a Master of Science in Agriculture from Murray State University, KY. She was employed at the Calloway County Animal Shelter for two years and Breathitt Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Hopkinsville, KY, for three and a half years before being hired as an instructor in the Veterinary Technology Program at Murray State University. She worked in necropsy, histology and clinical pathology sections at the diagnostic lab and managed the laboratory animal colony, performed basic husbandry, collected blood samples and performed botulism inoculations as needed for diagnostic purposes. In her current duties, Mrs. Papajeski instructs veterinary technology students in basic laboratory procedures, advanced veterinary hematology, veterinary parasitology, clinical chemistry laboratory, small animal science, and laboratory animal science courses. In 2020, she was the recipient of the MSU Board of Regents Teaching Award in Agriculture. She manages the teaching animals, supervises animal care workers and coordinates activities with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and USDA-APHIS. Mrs. Papajeski is past secretary of the Kentucky Veterinary Technician Association (KVTA) of which she is a life member and remains actively involved in a mentoring capacity. She is a member of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) and Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE). She is licensed as a veterinary technologist in Kentucky and is also a registered laboratory animal technologist (RLATG) through AALAS. She serves on the faculty senate of Murray State University. She is a volunteer of the Calloway County Humane Society/Calloway County Animal Shelter, and a member of Hurricane Baptist Church where she serves as Sunday School and Bible School teacher. She also volunteers as a cub scout leader as an outreach of the church. Her passions in the field of veterinary medicine are laboratory work, laboratory animals, and the excitement of experiencing new things daily. She enjoys teaching and especially enjoys getting feedback from students after graduation. Mrs. Papajeski currently resides in Cadiz, KY and commutes to Murray, KY through beautiful Land Between the Lakes each day. She is happily married with two sons, Gavin and Grady. Her critters include an assortment of dogs, cats, rabbits, reptiles, ornamental fish, chickens, guineas, and ducks. Mrs. Papajeski enjoys being outdoors either gardening, fishing, hiking, or camping in her free time. You can read her Specialty Spotlight article in Today's Veterinary Nurse