BRISTOL — Students graduating veterinary school have an average student loan debt of over $162,000, according to a survey of the American Veterinary Medical Association. This is a crushing amount of debt for young veterinarians just starting out in their career and can take decades to pay off.
A group of Vermont veterinarians has awarded scholarships to three vet students — including one from Bristol — to help cushion the blow.
The Vermont Veterinary Medical Association Foundation’s mission is to provide scholarships for Vermonters attending veterinary school to help lower the debt load they face upon graduation. Applicants are chosen based on their overall burden of debt, academic achievement, desire to return to practice in Vermont, and their ability to overcome obstacles that confront them upon entering the veterinary profession. Funds are raised through contributions from veterinarians in Vermont and from the New England Veterinary Medical Association Conference.
Since its establishment in 2012, the VVMAF has contributed $49,000 to Vermonters attending veterinary school. The number of scholarship applicants in 2017 far exceeded the number of awards given, and it was a difficult task to make the decision this year among extraordinary candidates.
The VVMAF recently announced the recipients of their 2017 scholarships:
Emily Rule of Bristol. She is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate of the University of Vermont. Upon graduation and completion of a one-year internship, she hopes to return to Vermont and practice as an ambulatory equine veterinarian.
Earl Brady of Maidstone. He is a senior at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and already has secured a position upon graduation with a large animal practice in northern Vermont.
Dylan Devino of South Hero. He is a senior at the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and a graduate of the UVM. He hopes to return to Vermont and work in a dairy based or a mixed animal practice.