Realizing His Goal

Dr. Joel Jess (’86)
From a young age, Joel Jess liked when the veterinarian would make house calls on his western Iowa farm to check on the animals. After realizing his goal of becoming a veterinarian, for the past three decades has practiced in Pekin, Illinois, as the owner of the Pekin Veterinary Clinic. While he enjoys all aspects of his job, he particularly likes the diversity it affords him. “I get to be an ophthalmologist then a dermatologist then a gastroenterologist,” he says.