Degree: B.S.Agr. Animal & Nutritional Sciences, Equine Studies minor with an emphasis in equine management, Dec 2013
Career: Melissa is an Outside Territory Manager for MWI Animal Health in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She manages territory accounts by building and maintaining relationships with veterinarians and dealer store accounts that utilize MWI as their source of animal health supplies. Before starting at MWI, Melissa was a Territory Manager/Cattle Pharmaceutical Sales Rep for Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) in western Pennsylvania. Melissa and her family also own and operate Saffelle Cattle Co. in her hometown of Front Royal, Virginia.
Internships/Working Student Experience: Melissa took active steps to build her resume during her undergraduate career. She was a working student at the JW Ruby Research Farm and was part of a team of students that were responsible for the daily care, feeding, and exercise of the teaching horses. She completed a week long job shadow with a BI Territory Manager in Virginia to learn about careers in sales. After graduation, she was accepted into the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program where she worked during the breeding season at WinStar Farm.
Claim to Fame: Melissa was the first student from WVU to win the American Collegiate Horsemen’s Association Outstanding Senior award. She was honored for her leadership within the local chapter, her involvement in career-focused work experiences, and service.
About Attending WVU: “Being a working student at the JW Ruby
Research Farm Horse Unit prepared me more for my career than any other experience
in undergrad. It taught me to work independently and as part of a team, manage
my time, and be detail oriented. Get involved and make it a priority. Leave
an impression, hopefully a good one.