Jessica Heitmann

South Africa Support Staff

Jessica grew up in Rockaway, NJ and grew up playing sports and loving science. She graduated from Stockton University in 2022, where she majored in Biology with a concentration in pre-professional studies and a minor in Marine Biology. During her junior and senior year of college she worked at Absecon Veterinary Hospital as an Emergency Room Veterinary Technician. She also gained experience at a small general practice called All Creatures Great and Small. After graduating college, Jessica took her passion for veterinary medicine and her dreams to travel the world and decided to attend three different Loop Abroad programs. In the summer of 2022, she attended Loop Abroad’s two week South Africa Zoo Medicine program. Jessica loved it as she got to fulfill her childhood dream of traveling to Africa, while also learning about the possibilities of careers in zoo medicine or conservation medicine. In April 2023, Jessica attended a weekend dental internship opportunity with Loop Abroad where she got to work with tigers, cougars, fox, etc and learned a lot about the possibilities of becoming a board certified dentist. In the summer of 2023, Jessica attended Loop Abroad’s four week Thailand program, where she learned a lot about ethical traveling, gained a new perspective of global medicine, and fulfilled her goal of getting scuba certified! Jessica decided to further her education after college and continue to pursue her dreams of working in the veterinary field. She is in St. George’s University of Veterinary Medicine class of 2028. When she is not in the classroom or clinic, Jessica enjoys playing soccer, going to the beach, and scuba diving! She loves the ocean! Jessica is thrilled to be working with Loop Abroad as she has had her own amazing experiences as a student and is eager to create a positive experience for the students she will have the privilege of looking after. She hopes to be a mentor to all of them and help them in their journey of pursuing a career working with animals.