New Jersey Veterinary Technicians and Assistants

06/14/2026

Save the date for our annual conference, November 15th, 2026! Click the QR code below to register as an exhibitor for our conference! New Venue, New Date, New educational tracks, same dedication to our members!!!!

Don’t wait- register today and join us!

06/12/2026

Happy Friday!!!! We just can’t wait to hear your responses!!!! Let’s go!!!

And go….

05/24/2026

Sunday shoutout to:

Nicole Fopeano

Nicole works for Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and graduated from Brookdale Community College in 2025. She has such a passion for animals and really has embraced the role of being a veterinary assistant. Nicole is part of the GP department and assists the doctors during appointments and helps restrain for examinations. She also is a client representative confirming appointments and making sure everything is up to date and ready for each patient visit. Nicole would like to one day move into more of a technical role at her job and has dreams of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. When she isn’t at the hospital she loves doing crafts and snuggling her dog Jaxx and catching up on some sitcoms! Vampire diaries is a house favorite!!!! ❤️

Leave Nicole some love!!!!

05/23/2026

Say HELLO to our next AVA:

Brooke Iannone

Graduating in 2024 from Brookdale Community
College, Brooke currently works in the
Avian and Exotics Department at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital! The exotics department is pretty fast paced and Brooke can adapt to any situation whether it be making sure the treatment room is stocked or keeping patients calm during examination. Brooke takes pride using free free techniques and helping in any way possible to minimize stress to not only patients but their owners as well. Brooke
hopes to become a veterinary technician specializing in exotics and is always looking for new opportunities to expand her knowledge through training at the hospital. When she isn’t working Brooke enjoys playing video games and hanging with her Blue Tongue Skink, Paarthurnax and Tegu named Falkor.

Send some Sunny Saturday wishes to Brooke!!!

05/22/2026

It’s Fist Pump Friday for our next AVA introduction! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Maddison Wejnert-Torres.

Maddison attended Bergen County Technical High School, graduated in 2025 and passed her Approved Veterinary Assistant examination right after high school. She is currently a full time student continuing her education in veterinary technology at Bergen Community College. Right now Maddison is a volunteer at Pawsitivily Furever Dog Rescue and helps with assistant type activities during their weekend hours and also works as a dog bather. As a full time student Maddison is working hard towards achieving her next round of veterinary goals, so weekdays are dedicated to studying and working on improving skills learned as a veterinary assistant over the years.
The skills of a veterinary assistant are all great building blocks that have helped her achieve some of the highest grades in her current veterinary class making her a leader in which others look up to for their own aspiring goals. Maddison enjoys bird watching and digital art when she’s not studying or working. Volunteering is very important to Maddison and she continues to advocate for animals even during her free time. Seeing an animal get a forever home truly is what makes her happy!

Let’s give Maddison some high fives today as we welcome one of our youngest AVA’s to the field! 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

05/21/2026

It’s Thank a VA Thursday!!!!

Rachel Zendt

Rachel received her AVA designation in 2024 from Brookdale Community College. She currently works at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in their emergency and critical care department! She knew that working in this type of environment meant helping very sick patients and assisting doctors and techs in every way possible and she was ready for the task! She knew that her love for animals would shine through and being a VA would also be useful to help owners through some of the difficult times of treatment. One of her primary goals is to be there for the patients families when the heavy decision of euthanasia is an option. Rachel wants to be there every step of the way with these families as they navigate the process and help them cope with the loss of their furry friend. While Rachel feels empathy and being physically and emotionally strong have contributed to her success; her coworkers remark on her overall compassion and team work that make her a leader at the hospital. When Rachel isn’t being a rock star at work she loves exercising and hanging with her dogs!

Send some 🖐️ high fives to Rachel everybody!

05/20/2026

AVA Women Crush Wednesday award goes to:

Gina Iacouzze

Gina went to Brookdale Community College and was their very first AVA class ever!!! Yay!!! She currently works at City By the Sea Vet which is a smaller local practice but has 14 years in the field. Her love for animals and interest in vet med had a huge impact on her choosing to start as an AVA. Gina now works as a job trained veterinary technician and has been very successful. Her typical day at works revolves around total patient care, assisting the veterinarian with exams and procedures as well as educating pet parents on preventative care. Gina’s goal is to continue to learn through continuing education and keep her future as a technician bright by learning new skills. Outside of work, Gina loves to travel and spend time doing outdoor adventures!

Everyone leave Gina some love ❤️

05/19/2026

Happy AVA Tuesday to;

Jennifer Miller

Jen went to the Morris County School of Technology and graduated in 2022. She currently works for The Animal Hospital of Roxbury. They are a general practice so she usually helps in doctor and technician appointments, assisting any treatments and procedures and will help out with surgery at times. Jen also helps with reception and some of the IT work.

“Being a voice for the voiceless.”

Jen took this quote to heart and wanted to become a veterinary assistant. Growing up, she was always around animals whether it was her own family’s’ animal, or playing veterinarian and dressing up her cat and helping with the many foster animals her brother took in. After going through the assistant program, her love for animals grew deeper and she wanted to make sure each animal she has and will come across is taken care of and is treated as it should be. Jen just finished the veterinary technician program at Bergen, and it has opened her eyes to many possible routes in veterinary medicine. She plans to take her VTNE in the fall and once licensed, hopes to become a veterinary technician specialist. Jen is still deciding what specialty to go into. Through externships she had the opportunity to shadow multiple technicians at an emergency and specialty hospital and enjoyed being in the cardiology department but also enjoyed being in surgery. When Jen isn’t working she enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her dog Tucker!

Say hi to approved veterinary assistant, Jen Miller!!!

05/18/2026

Say good morning to our next AVA celebrant, Marc Stevenson, Brookdale Community College class of 2025! Marc currently works the treatment overnight shift at Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital. A typical work day at his hospital starts with a quick greeting and briefing from his wonderful coworkers, then immediately jumping into any task that may need attention. Whether that be providing a helping hand for a doctor/technician, preparing medications, engaging in a quick walk with a patient, arranging cages to ensure comfort, etc. One of the great things Marc loves about being an approved assistant is being able to continue learning through webinars and educational events at his hospital. It’s become a core value not only of his practice but also his own work ethic! In the fall he will be attending Harcum College to pursue a degree in veterinary nursing. Outside of veterinary medicine, he enjoys passing time with friends and family, listening to music & watching movies, and going for mountainous hikes. Marc also engages in pet care for clients, such as dog walks and in-home visits, which he prides himself on to continue the compassion and empathy for pets when he isn’t working at the hospital.

Help us Congratulate Marc on all his success and wish him well at Harcum!!!

05/17/2026

This week is National Approved Veterinary Assistants Week and we are thrilled to highlight some of our state’s National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) approved assistants!

Each day this week we will introduce an AVA and share some of their inside thoughts on what it’s like to be a veterinary assistant!

No veterinary team is complete without the help of an approved veterinary assistant!
Leave them some love below!!!

Introducing:

Steven Avery Chokas Jr.

Steven graduated from Animal-Behavioral
College in 2022 and currently works for Ridgefield Park Animal Hospital. Originally wanting to become a veterinarian, Steven decided becoming an AVA would be his first step to testing the waters of veterinary medicine. Since becoming a AVA Steven has learned excellent time management skills, understanding how to navigate a busy strenuous hospital workload and gain excellent hands on skills to push his limits to achieve the best patient healthcare possible. Steven is currently in his last semester at Bergen Community College and will graduate in August with a Veterinary Technology degree. After taking his VTNE he plans on pursuing a higher veterinary technologist degree at St.Petersburg College.

When Steven isn’t working he enjoys spending time with friends whether it’s relaxing watching movies or checking out some new food ideas! While Dungeons and Dragons seems to be a favorite of his, dragon care is not part of his quest!


Happy AVA week!