PULLMAN – Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine fourth year students Kayla Burnham and Ali Weaver recently received MedVet scholarships that cover up to $ 35,000 of their senior year and tuition fees.
Upon graduation this spring, Burnham and Weaver will join MedVet’s two-year Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program, an accelerated, supervised training program focused on developing emergency veterinarians in a multi-specialty hospital. Upon completion of the program, the two have committed to work as full-time emergency physicians at one of MedVet’s 30+ specialty and emergency hospitals across the country for at least a year.
“They are both great students and they deserve it,” said Dr. Raelynn Farnsworth, interim director of the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “MedVet has come up with a great opportunity to positively and effectively advance the careers of these students and at the same time to creatively fill positions that are really needed. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. “
Burnham grew up in Olympia, Washington, and received her bachelor’s degree from Evergreen State College. Since joining the WSU’s veterinary medicine program, she has been active in numerous clubs, was a member of the class council, president of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association at WSU and secretary of the Veterinary Law and Ethics Club.
Burnham said she was excited about the prospect of working in emergency medicine, a specialty that she has always been drawn to.
“I have personally had veterinary emergencies with my own pets and I am so grateful for the help I received – you saved my pet’s life and I want to do that for other people,” she said.
Burnham said she is excited about the opportunity to continue learning and working among experienced veterinarians on MedVet’s mentoring program, and the scholarship will help ease the financial burden of attending veterinary school.
“But the relief of having already found my job is really the icing on the cake for me,” she said. “Now I can concentrate on my studies and my rotations.”
Weaver also grew up in Olympia and obtained a bachelor’s degree from WSU with a focus on animal sciences. She was a member of numerous clubs, including as secretary of the Emergency and Critical Care Club. She became interested in intensive care when she was in high school after her family dog needed emergency treatment.
“It was such a positive experience and I was just so impressed with how collected, knowledgeable, and supportive all of the vets were, and it has intrigued me from then on,” she said.
Weaver said she was grateful for the scholarship and the chance to join the MedVet team.
“They just supported me and I’m so grateful to them,” she said. “You really gave me something I thought I could only dream about – it just seems perfect. I am really looking forward to it.”