CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s student-run podcast continues its second season Dec. 7 with an episode highlighting the University’s new companion animal program.

“I Am WT” hosts Myka Bailey, a junior PR/advertising/applied communication major from Abernathy, and Thomas Rodriguez, a junior digital media and communication major from Katy, are joined by Dr. Sara-Louise Newcomer, WT’s Dr. Russell C. Long and Natrelle Hedrick Long Professor in Companion Animal Studies.

The professorship and the program were established following a $2.1 million planned gift to the University from President Emeritus Long and his wife in December 2022.

The episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud, as well as at wtamu.edu/IAmWTPodcast.

Newcomer discusses the program, which focuses on domesticated animals—such as dogs, cats, horses, birds, reptiles or rodents—that are primarily kept as pets, not livestock or wild animals.

She also offers advice to potential pet owners.

“You can’t flippantly go into getting an animal. It is a huge responsibility. You will do yourself well to do the research ahead of time to find out what you’re getting into,” Newcomer says. “This is not just a small little commitment.”

The “I Am WT” podcast embodies WT’s commitment to people first, one of the key principles of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021— has raised more than $125 million and will continue through 2025.

In the biweekly episodes of “I Am WT,” student hosts interview WT faculty, staff, students and alumni about what WT means to them.

Audiences hear stories about how attending or working at WT changed the lives of the guests, and how they’re making a difference in their community.