A student worker at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is celebrating national success after helping lead the Texas A&M University Dairy Challenge Team to a championship this spring.
Abby van Adrichem, a student worker in TVMDL’s client services section, served as a coach for the four-member team that competed at the 2026 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
For Van Adrichem, dairy farming has been part of her life from the very beginning. Her parents came to the United States from the Netherlands to start a dairy operation, and the values they instilled through years of hard work and dedication to agriculture helped shape her passion for the dairy industry. Today, she is entering her senior year at Texas A&M University as an animal science and agricultural economics dual major.
By leading the Dairy Challenge Team, Van Adrichem is able to put years of industry exposure and academic knowledge into practice.
The Dairy Challenge competition places students in the role of agricultural consultants tasked with analyzing the overall success of a working dairy operation. Competitors present their findings to a panel of judges who evaluate the teams’ analyses, recommendations, presentation skills, and responses to questions.
“Winning this national title was especially rewarding because it showcased what can be accomplished by students who are truly committed to learning and growing in the dairy industry, regardless of the size of their school’s dairy program,” Van Adrichem said. “As their undergraduate coach, I was honored to work with such dedicated students, and seeing their talent and hard work earn national recognition was one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career.”
In addition to her involvement in Dairy Challenge, Van Adrichem works in TVMDL’s client services section, where she supports clients and laboratory operations.
“I absolutely agree with TVMDL’s mission of protecting animal and human health because healthy animals are the foundation of a successful dairy industry,” she said.
Van Adrichem said working in the receiving lab has provided her with valuable exposure to animal health and disease surveillance efforts that she may not have encountered elsewhere.
“It’s helped me better understand how diagnostics, nutrition, and herd management all work together,” she said.
Beyond animal health and diagnostics, Van Adrichem said her experience at TVMDL has shaped her leadership philosophy. Watching professionals, like her supervisor Dr. Ashley Arnold, balance responsibility with eagerness to support others has inspired her own approach to mentoring students.
“I’ve learned a lot about animal health, but I’ve also been shown the kind of professional and leader I hope to become.”
TVMDL celebrates Van Adrichem’s accomplishment as an example of the leadership and devotion to animal health that drive the laboratory’s mission to meet broader goals of One Health.
To learn more about the outstanding employees who support TVMDL’s mission, or for information about diagnostic testing services, visit tvmdl.tamu.edu or call the College Station laboratory at 888.646.5623 or the Canyon laboratory at 888.646.5624.
