Photo: Courtesy AAEP

The Merck Animal Health/American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation scholarship recognizes promising veterinary students committed to a career in equine medicine. On Dec. 3, at the 2018 AAEP Convention, taking place in San Francisco, California, five students received this $5,000 scholarship:

• Abigail Illingsworth, Tufts University, class of 2020
• Persia Neumann, University of California, Davis, class of 2019
• Kate Rigby, Kansas State University, class of 2019
• Catherine Thurston, University of Pennsylvania, class of 2019
• Zoe Williams, Michigan State University, class of 2020

To be eligible for the Merck Animal Health/AAEP Foundation scholarship program, applicants must be second- or third-year veterinary students dedicated to equine medicine and active within any of the AAEP’s 39 student chapters at colleges of veterinary medicine in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean. The scholarships are awarded to students for their academic excellence, leadership in their school and AAEP student chapter, and their long-term goals.

“Through our ongoing partnership with the AAEP, we are honored to back standout veterinary students who are passionate about pursuing careers in equine veterinary medicine,” said Craig Barnett, DVM, Merck Animal Health director of equine technical services. “These recipients represent the future of veterinary medicine, and we are confident that they will help us advance the science of healthier animals in the years to come