Inspired by her lifelong love for animals, third-year Stamps Eminence scholar Jaleea Gamble knew that majoring in animal sciences was a path that she was destined to take. Gamble’s urge to collaborate and aid in both animal research as well as her community at home led her to The Ohio State University.
The choice to go to Ohio State was an easy one to make for Gamble. Born and raised in Columbus, she already felt connected to Ohio State through attending football games growing up. In high school, Gamble had an opportunity to familiarize herself with the Columbus campus due to her deep interest in music. Receiving lessons with an oboe professor was just one of many ways Ohio State started feeling like home to Gamble.
Even with a passion for music, Gamble always knew that she wanted to become a veterinarian. Gamble watched her grandfather take care of cattle on his farm in Georgia every summer, which sparked her love for animals at a young age.
“I would say it was a culmination of experiences, like just caring for them over the years,” Gamble says about her desire to be at veterinarian. Her love for animals drew her to animal sciences, but losing two of her childhood dogs inspired her further to go into medicine so that she could help other animals.
Confident in both her choice to attend Ohio State and her decision in majoring in animal sciences, Gamble was able to find more learning opportunities in the form of her student organizations.
Gamble is currently on the executive board as the fundraising chair for the Zoology Club at Ohio State. Her work with the Zoology Club has not only given her important connections with students that have similar interests, but it has also led her directly toward opportunities to help animals outside of Ohio State. During one of the club’s meetings, a guest speaker came in to discuss her work as a Pinniped Specialist at the Columbus Zoo, working with seals and sea lions. Gamble’s intrigue in what the speaker had to say steered her toward non-profit Walking Wild Fox Rescue.
Gamble also works under the co-mentorship of Dr. Gregory Ballash and Dr. Vanessa Hale at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Gamble’s work started during the fall of 2024, where she primarily focused on studying the microbiome and its role in urinary tract infections (UTIs). Gamble received funding through the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program to continue her research full-time during the summer of 2025.
She acknowledges the help that her co-mentors have given her during her work: “They helped me gain independence within my research. I feel like I used to rely on support from a mentor as a crutch. They’ve given me the support, but they’ve also pushed me to grow as an independent scientist.”
Gamble’s research gave her a push to pursue opportunities that she never imagined, such as participating in research at MD Anderson Cancer Research. Recently, Gamble has been awarded funding through the competitive 2026 Undergraduate Student Pelotonia Scholars Program. Gamble’s research that she received funding for involved looking into looking at the impact of a probiotic on urinary outcomes in dogs being treated for urothelial carcinoma. This work translates to human bladder cancer as well, which makes this research all the more special to Gamble. Before graduating in 2028, Gamble plans to continue applying for competitive fellowships, along with engaging more with animals and continuing to gain hands-on experience.
Along with Gamble’s work in animal sciences, she finds ways to get involved in Ohio State in other ways. As a Stamps Eminence scholar, Gamble was able to tap into mental health awareness by co-founding the Ohio State chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Franklin County Students, along with fellow Stamps Eminence Scholar Enzo Dinglasan.
Gamble’s passion for mental health guided her towards wanting to transfer that passion towards something new at Ohio State.
“Me and my partner, Enzo, were able to get it [NAMI Franklin County Students] up and running. We essentially wanted to collaborate within Columbus, but we decided on NAMI because they have an organization which we hope to leverage the support from.” With NAMI, Gamble has been able to bring support for those across Franklin County in ways that she never imagined.
With a chaotic schedule, Gamble focuses on the impact she can have on so many lives, both human and animals, to motivate her. “Ultimately, I want to be a veterinary oncologist. So doing a lot of research and doing clinical trials in order to create cancer treatments for both animals and humans.”
Ohio State has given Gamble access to means needed to put her best foot forward, allowing her to learn and grow alongside her peers. Graduating in 2028, Gamble hopes to continue aiding both the humans and animals around her through her work in both student organizations and professional research opportunities. Gamble’s journey at Ohio State reflects the opportunities present at Ohio State in the form of community, research and leadership.
