NC State Veterinary Students Earn Equine Scholarships
Two class of 2021 students focusing on equine medicine in the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine have been honored with scholarships from the Foundation for the Horse.
Beth Lewis was one of five national winners of a Merck Animal Health Scholarship, and Sara Tufts was one of five receiving an Oakwood Foundation Scholarship. Both are $5,000 scholarships recognizing academic excellence, leadership and commitment to equine medicine careers.
The scholarships are administered by the Foundation for the Horse, the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Lewis and Tufts will be honored during the AAEP’s virtual convention in December.
“My classmates see me in the equine hospital and ask me if I am living the dream,” says Lewis. “The answer is always, ‘yes.’”
After graduation, Lewis plans to pursue an equine academic internship followed by an equine medicine residency. She said those goals wouldn’t have been possible without the mentorship she’s received from Sally Vivrette, founder of Triangle Equine Veterinary Services, a mobile service based in the Raleigh area, and Katie Sheats, assistant professor of equine primary care at the CVM.
“I felt a sense of overwhelming gratitude and relief,” says Lewis of receiving the scholarship. “Financial burden is something veterinary students struggle with. Scholarships help relieve that burden and allow us to focus on what really matters — our patients and the education required to treat them.”
Tufts also thanked several of her CVM mentors, including Timo Prange, associate clinical professor of equine surgery, and Amy Stieler Stewart, a Department of Clinical Sciences assistant research professor who earned her Ph.D. in comparative biomedical sciences from the CVM in 2019.
Next year, Tufts will pursue an internship at the Equine Medical Center of Ocala in Florida.
“I am very thankful and honored to receive this award, especially because it is from the equine veterinary community,” says Tufts. “To be recognized for my hard work and dedication in this field is uplifting.”
The CVM boasts a large and active Student Chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The AAEP has consistently honored CVM students who are part of the college’s renowned equine medicine program. Last year, 2020 CVM graduates Gabriel Gonzalez and Natalie Andrews received the AAEP’s prestigious Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarship.
~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine
