Being accepted into the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is no easy feat. The acceptance rate is just over 7%. South Cameron senior Libby Baccigalopi, daughter of Brett and Lauren Baccigalopi, has a seat reserved in the highly competitive program when she graduates from LSU in 2030. Baccigalopi was accepted through LEAD-V, a program at LSU (that only accepts up to 10 students a year) aimed at youth wanting to pursue a career in veterinarian medicine. Students must be in 4-H or FFA all four years of their high school career and meet other criteria and academic requirements. The LSU LEAD-V (Early Admissions in Developing Veterinarians) program offers Louisiana high school seniors an early pathway to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. This initiative aims to bolster rural, food animal, and equine veterinary services by offering selected students a reserved seat upon graduation from LSU. LEAD-V helps students secure a spot in a highly competitive program early in their academic careers, which allows students to begin their veterinary studies after three years of undergraduate work. Libby has also been excepted into LSU’s Roger Hadfield Ogden honors college. The Ogden Honors College engages a diverse population of high-achieving students in a dynamic interaction of outstanding instruction, innovative research, and public service.