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Healthy Paws is happy to start the Spring 2021 school year by awarding scholarships to two worthy college students. Recipients were chosen based on educational merits and extracurricular dedication to improving animal welfare.
There were two different scholarship categories, each with a $1,000 grant to help pay for tuition.
- The Animal Advocate Scholarship is designated for a student with significant volunteer experience enrolled in an accredited institution in the U.S.
- The Veterinary Student Scholarship is designated for a student enrolled in an accredited vet medicine program in the U.S.
Spring 2021 Recipients
Animal Advocate Scholarship: Aarthi Sankaran
University of Minnesota– College of Veterinary Medicine, small animal veterinary track
Aarthi has been involved in animal welfare since high school when she volunteered with local rescue organizations. Through the Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation and the Richmond SPCA, she worked on adoption events, fostering, veterinary visits, home checks, and adopter communication.
This experience led to her becoming a veterinary student and deciding to dedicate her life to the lives of animals. It also instilled in her a sense of community-mindedness and a determination to serve low-income communities.
“I’m so grateful to Healthy Paws for awarding this scholarship. Over the years, I’ve seen the human-animal relationship manifest in hundreds of different ways; it’s driven me to advocate not just for animals, but also for the people who care for them. I hope to be a voice for thousands of animals as I continue to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, ” she wrote.
Veterinary Student Scholarship, Stephanie Jankowski
San Juan Community College, veterinary technician program
Stephanie has already worked as a veterinary nurse for 11 years, but she wanted to continue her training to become a behavioral specialist.
She works a full and part-time job, as well as running an animal rescue called Ghandi’s Refuge in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, all while taking online classes to earn her certification.
Stephanie has worked in general practice, but shelter medicine is her real love.
“Being able to care for these animals that have been deemed as less than because they don’t have families inspired the tag line for my rescue: ‘Your value does not decrease based on somebody’s inability to see your worth.’ And thanks to this scholarship, I can continue on my mission of making sure every animal’s value is honored and respected,” she wrote.
Healthy Paws wishes these students, as well as all of the other candidates, the best of luck in their endeavors.
