Mzyk Awarded American Veterinary Medical Foundation Scholarship

Danielle Mzyk, a dual Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Ph.D. candidate at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), has been awarded an inaugural scholarship from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.

This is the first year of the Auxiliary to the AVMA Legacy Endowed Scholarship program. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one student at each veterinary school in the United States accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Mzyk is this year’s North Carolina representative.

Scholarship recipients display a strong commitment to academics, as well as leadership involvement in both university organizations and activities in the community.

“Being awarded this scholarship means so much more than just lowering educational debt,” says Mzyk. “It is a constant reminder that there is a whole community of people out there that believe in me enough to invest so substantially in my future and education.”

Myzk received her undergraduate degree from NC State in zoology with a minor in animal science in 2012. Her graduate research at the CVM is focused on pharmacology and dairy calves, particularly the effects of age and disease on drug distribution in food animals. Her campus activities include volunteering at NC State’s Lake Wheeler Dairy and involvement with the Student Chapter of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

As a responder for the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD), Mzyk answers questions from veterinarians and producers about drug use. She has worked with dairy farmers across the country.

The recipient of numerous honors during her time at the CVM, Mzyk was also one of just five veterinary medicine students across the country to receive a scholarship to attend this past summer’s American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum. Earlier this month, Mzyk received a $5,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship Award, which honors college students with a strong commitment and passion for science.

“I have been so thankful for these gifts of unwavering support,” says Mzyk, “and I hope that one day, I too can give back to a profession that has invested so much in me.”

For more information on the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, go to AVMF.org.

~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine