Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program helps alleviate cost of veterinary education

Thirty-four veterinary students pursuing a career in equine medicine have received financial support through the Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program, co-sponsored by the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Foundation, Platinum Performance and The Race for Education.

The Winner’s Circle scholarships are intended to help ease the financial burden of a veterinary education by providing fourth-year students at each of the AAEP’s 36 student chapters in North America with scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the needs of the individual student. Students are nominated from each chapter and selected for scholarships based on their leadership roles and dedication to a future in equine health care. In some cases where a student chapter was not represented in the applicant pool, scholarship funds were re-allocated to additional qualified applicants from other student chapters.

“Veterinary school debt is at an all-time high and can be a real challenge for future equine practitioners,” said AAEP Foundation Chairman Jeff Berk, VMD. “The Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program is an important source of assistance to some of the best and brightest students as they prepare to embark upon their equine veterinary careers.”

“These bright young students will be on the forefront of the next generation of equine healthcare,” said Platinum Performance President Mark Herthel. “We are proud to support the future of veterinary medicine.”

A total of 18 students received $1,500 scholarships; 16 others received $5,000 scholarships, which included $4,000 in funds from a federal matching grant that the Race for Education received from the Assets for Independence program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. An additional 15 applicants not selected for Winner’s Circle scholarships also received $4,000 awards through the federal matching grant.

Since its establishment in 2008, the Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program has provided $905,500 in scholarships to 228 veterinary students bound for careers in equine medicine.

Congratulations to the following 2014 recipients:

Bradley Back, University of Prince Edward Island

Zach Badura, Iowa State University

Kimberly Bruce, Oregon State University

Kayla Dykstra, University of Calgary

Joanna Eng, Oklahoma State University

Mailie Fanning, Western University of Health Sciences

Patrick First, Mississippi State University

Travis Holland, Louisiana State University

Nichole Hughes, University of Florida

Elodie Huguet, University of Georgia

Ricci Karkula, Texas A&M University

Alessandra Keenan, University of Georgia

Kari Kurtz, Michigan State University

Rebecca Legere, Kansas State University

Craig Lesser, Colorado State University

Alexandra Linn, University of Minnesota

Ana Malone Oliver, University of Pennsylvania

Marisa Markey, Ontario Veterinary College

Carly Mayer, Virginia Tech

Andrew McClain, Purdue University

Kaitlin McDonald, University of Calgary

Kristina McGinnis, North Carolina State University

Lauren Mundy, Ohio State University

Jillian Paegelow, University of Missouri

Allison Parnell, University of Tennessee

Lauren Pasch, University of Wisconsin

Jacqueline Pasko, University of Minnesota

Hilary Rice, Washington State University

Jeremy Shaba, Ontario Veterinary College

Jared Sharp, Oregon State University

Jelline Vautier, University of California-Davis

Samantha Weaver, University of Tennessee

Stacy Whitton, University of Illinois

Kara Young, Ohio State University

For additional information about The Race for Education, visit www.raceforeducation.org or call (859) 252-8648. For more information about Platinum Performance, visit www.platinumperformance.com.

The AAEP Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 1994 to serve as the charitable arm of the AAEP to improve the welfare of the horse. Additional information about the Foundation is available at www.aaepfoundation.org.