WSU veterinary students earn national bovine health scholarships

PULLMAN — Washington State University veterinary students seeking careers in bovine medicine were awarded three of 18 national scholarships from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Veterinary students Caden Colombik, Taythen Larson and Tanya Weber each earned a 2023 Merck Animal Health Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award. Recipients are awarded $5,000. Weber was also one of 16 fourth-year veterinary students in the country to receive the Zoetis Foundation Scholarship, which provides a $7,500 award.

Amid a shortage of large animal veterinarians in the United States, both scholarships aim to support students in veterinary school who demonstrate the character, knowledge, experience, motivation and potential to become outstanding bovine veterinarians.

“I am thrilled to receive a 2023 AABP Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award,” Colombik said. “The support of the AABP allows me to continue my dream of using veterinary medicine to improve the production and profitability of the beef production systems in my home state of Montana. I truly appreciate their generosity and support of veterinary students like me.”

Larson was also thankful, adding that money is tight in veterinary school and scholarships help alleviate that financial burden.

The students were recognized last month at the American Association of Bovine Practitioners annual conference in Milwaukee, which Weber attended in person.

“It is an incredible honor to be awarded scholarships offered by AABP,” Weber said. “My journey to veterinary school was not easy. In fact, I applied to veterinary school four times over six years before being accepted. It is so humbling to be recognized for the work I have put into learning about bovine management so that I can be a better practitioner, and I could not have made it to where I am today without the support of my family, friends and amazing educators.”