Michael Alt is a native of Northern Virginia, who graduated from the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended Virginia Tech and was admitted to the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine after only three years of undergraduate study, earning his DVM degree in 2001. Dr. Alt worked at the Burke Veterinary Clinic through college and veterinary school, joining full time as a veterinarian in June of 2001. His studies emphasized emergency and critical care medicine as well as alternative medical therapies. He is a member of the Northern Virginia, Virginia State, and the American Veterinary Medical Associations. Dr. Alt is also a musician and a Virginia Tech “Hokie” football fan [citation].