This Auburn grad found an amazing alternative to vet school in Huntsville

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Savannah Douthit, Customer Quality Representative at Aviagen in Huntsville. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Savannah’s not your stereotypical Poultry Science professional. She grew up in the suburbs of Lakeland, Florida, but always had a desire to work with animals.

Read on to learn how she found a great alternative to veterinary school while studying at Auburn University and how she’s thriving in her career.

Meet Savannah

enjoying a coffee at Tours Les Jours — Enjoying a coffee at Tours Les Jours in Huntsville. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Originally from Lakeland, Florida, Savannah now calls the Huntsville area home. During her years at Auburn, she met a Southern gentleman named Joe Neal, and they married in 2023 and moved to Ardmore.

Savannah didn’t grow up on a farm, but her dad always encouraged her and her sister to love the outdoors. He took them hunting and fishing and even bought them a tabletop incubator to hatch their own chicks.

These experiences sparked a love of agriculture in Savannah, inspiring her to join 4-H in elementary and FFA in high school.

In her free time, she enjoys going to The Greenroom Coffee Shop at The Camp, gardening at home and raising her family’s herd of cattle.

Her experience studying Animal Sciences at Auburn

Timeline of how agriculture has changed over the years — Agriculture has changed immensely over the years. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Auburn wasn’t originally on Savannah’s radar, but it quickly felt like home.

“When I visited Auburn, I knew it was the place for me. It was a beautiful fall day, and the red brick buildings just welcomed me in. The family environment was exactly what I was looking for.

Plus, I went on the tour with an amazing Agriculture Ambassador who later inspired me to become an ambassador.”
Savannah Douthit

When Savannah started her freshman year, she knew no one at Auburn. However, all it took was joining a few of the College of Agriculture’s many clubs—like the Collegiate Cattleman Association, Poultry Science Club and Young Farmers—and she soon settled in.

“The Auburn agriculture community is so tight-knit, and I loved all the hands-on opportunities my Animal Sciences major gave me. You can’t just replicate that anywhere. For me, there’s no place like Auburn.”
Savannah Douthit

Her favorite class was Poultry Physiology with Dr. Jessica Starkey, where they learned to dissect chickens. She loved delving into the intricate science of the poultry industry.

Finding an alternate route to vet school

MidCity in the fall — Savannah loves hanging out at MidCity. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

When Savannah first chose to major in Animal Sciences, she initially considered veterinary school.

“The primary reason I considered vet school was because I thought it was the only avenue I could take. I never realized there were so many options.

Once I took a Poultry Science class, my eyes were completely open to new opportunities. The College of Agriculture does a good job of showcasing how many fields you can go into with your degree.”
Savannah Douthit

The College of Agriculture helped Savannah get two internships with Aviagen—a top-notch poultry breeding company. She first interned with them locally in Albertville (2021) and then abroad in Scotland (2022).

“I really loved interning with Aviagen, and it showed me that I could work directly with animals without becoming a vet.

This was perfect for me because I was ready to get married and start working instead of going to school for four years.”

Landing a fantastic job with Aviagen in Huntsville

Working at Aviagen in Huntsville — Savannah loves being able to travel to farms all over the Southeast and work in Huntsville. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Savannah’s incredible internship opportunities opened up the door to a full-time position with Aviagen after graduation.

She now works as a Customer Quality Representative, which consists of evaluating the quality of the chicks Aviagen delivers to their customer farms.

She travels all over the Southeast to these farms and provides feedback to the management team at Aviagen’s hatcheries, helping them to make necessary adjustments to improve the quality of the day-old baby chicks.

“I love my career at Aviagen, and it’s so rewarding to work with animals every day—the job I had always dreamed of.”
Savannah Douthit

Check out Auburn’s Animal Sciences program today

Auburn professor at the Miller Center—a top poultry research facility. — Auburn professor Dr. Hanlon at the Miller Center—a top poultry research facility. (Lacey Muenstermann / Hville Blast)

Studying Animal Sciences opens you up to career opportunities in veterinary medicine, equine science, food safety, production and more. It’s also a great step toward graduate studies in fields like animal nutrition, biochemistry and molecular biology, genetics and others.

Check out Auburn’s major options:

Learn more about studying Animal Sciences at Auburn today.

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