Griffin is a veterinary dermatologist, who said the idea of being a vet came at age 7 as she cared for stray cats and dogs in her neighborhood in Dayton.
“This school meant a lot to me and my family” Griffin said Monday at Dayton Christian.
She said she came back to talk to the students and tell them “how someone came from Dayton, Ohio, and went to Dayton Christian can do something a little different and a little fun.”
She credited Dr. Walt Belue, a former Dayton Cristian science teacher by day who ran a veterinary practice at night and on weekends. Belue became her mentor and encouraged her interest in the field, Griffin said.
Griffin finished as valedictorian of her class, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Johns Hopkins, and received her doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell.