Zoetis Inc. is partnering with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) to invite second- and third-year veterinary students in the U.S. and Caribbean to apply for the 2017 Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award. Each scholarship is $2,000 and applicable to the upcoming 2017-2018 school term. Interested students can apply at VETVANCE, a free online resource for veterinary students and recent graduates, through Nov. 30.
“Zoetis has always been committed to meeting the unmet needs of veterinarians, and that includes helping aspiring veterinary students as they pursue their passion and profession,” said Dr. Christine Jenkins, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer at Zoetis. “We receive many letters from the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship winners each year, and we are amazed to hear how these scholarships have enabled them to achieve their DVM degree.”
Eligibility criteria include academic excellence, financial need, diversity, sustainability, leadership and career interest. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of professional interest, including food animal medicine, small animal clinical medicine, research, government services, public health, and organized veterinary medicine.
“The AAVMC is proud to help prepare new generations of veterinarians as they pursue a promising career,” said Dr. Andrew Maccabe Chief Executive Officer, AAVMC. “Our long-standing relationship with Zoetis has enabled us to award scholarships to many exceptional veterinary students through the years—and give them the financial support to pave their path for success.”
Now in its seventh year, the Veterinary Scholarship Award operates as part of Zoetis Commitment to Veterinarians, a platform created by Zoetis to support leadership and diversity among future veterinarians, while also helping to offset the significant costs associated with a veterinary education.
According to AAVMC, the median debt of indebted graduates of U.S. colleges of veterinary medicine was $156,583 in 2015, a 5.5 percent increase over 2014. To date, Zoetis’ program has awarded over $5.2M in scholarships to more than 2,400 students like Shireen Zoghadari of Colorado State University’s class of 2018.
“Zoetis' commitment to veterinarians translates to veterinary students as well. The scholarship they awarded to me helped fund externships to further my veterinary education that would have otherwise been financially out of my reach,” Zoghadari noted.
To learn more about the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award or to apply for a scholarship, please register at VETVANCE.com or visit www.vetvance.com/opportunities to get started.
