Race For Education's 2011 Winner's Circle Scholarship Recipients Announced

Monday, April 18, 2011

Over $125,000 in scholarship funds were recently awarded to 31 equine veterinary students from U.S., Canadian and West Indies schools and colleges of veterinary medicine were awarded the Race for Education’s Winner’s Circle Scholarship. The Winner's Circle Scholarship Program is designed to encourage and support veterinary students intending to enter equine veterinary medicine, to reward leadership and participation in Student Chapters of the AAEP (SCAAEP) and to help offset the escalating cost of veterinary education and minimize debt load at graduation by providing financial aid to students in their 4th year of veterinary school. 

These scholarships benefit deserving students through partnership between the AAEP Foundation and The Race For Education, along with support from Platinum Performance. The goal of this program is to award one scholarship per year to a deserving student at each of the 36 Colleges of Veterinary Medicine throughout North America and the West Indies that sponsors a national chapter of SCAAEP. 

Congratulations to the following scholarship recipients: Caro Angus of St. Matthews University SVM; Kelli Beavers of Virginia-Maryland’s Regional College of Veterinary Medicine; Rachel Beetz of Purdue University SVM; Mark Buchert of Louisiana State University SVM; Christopher Caniglia of North Carolina State University CVM; Sara Carpenter of Kansas State University CVM; Katie Carter of UC Davis University SVM; Megan Cassels-Conway of the University of Georgia CVM; Kaela Choquete of Tufts University SVM; Kayla Chochran of Colorado State University CVM; Alisa Corser of the University of Florida CVM; Jenee Daws of Michigan State University CVM; Ann Marie DeLeenheer of the University of Saskatchewan (WCVM); Ashley French of the University of Missouri CVM; Kati Glass of Texas A&M University VMBS; Alicia Griffin of The Ohio State University CVM; Jessica Harmon of St. George’s University SVM; Rachel Hector of Oregon State University CVM; Melodee Heidmiller of Western University of Health Sciences CVM; Sherry Johnson of Iowa State University CVM; Erin Keys of the University of Minnesota CVM; Lawrence King of Mississippi State University CVM; Elsa Ludwig of the University of Wisconsin SVM; David Priest of Auburn University CVM; Abby Regner of Cornell University CVM; Eric Renner of Washington State University CVM; Amy Schuver of the University of Tennessee CVM; Erin Shields of the University of Calgary VM; Benjamin Shrauner of Oklahoma State University CVHS; Janessa Wood of the University of Guleph (OVC); and Kathryn Wulster of the University of Pennsylvania SVM.

To be eligible for this scholarship, a student must: be a national AAEP student member and active within their school’s AAEP chapter; currently attend a college of veterinary medicine;
and apply during their 3rd year (7-9th semesters) for funding during their 4th year of veterinary curriculum.

All scholarships are $1500 unless recipient qualifies for the Assets for Independence (AFI) federal grant program available through The Race For Education. If student meets federal guidelines and completes the grant program, the student receives the Winner's Circle $1000 scholarship in the Fall term then saves $500 as part of the grant program and receives an additional $4000 in grant funding for their spring term. Extensive information about the program is provided after recipients receive notification of selection committee's decisions in April. The AFI program is not open to Canadian students.

The Race for Education provides educational programs and college scholarships to young people in the equine and agriculture industries with significant financial need. The majority of their students come from high need, low income backgrounds. The Race for Education not only offers financial support for these students, but also mentoring, tutoring, and partnership support to ensure students are receiving the support and educational skills they need to be successful.