I am extremely grateful and honoured to be one of the first recipients of the Dr. Murray Jelinski Scholarship. Dr. Jelinski was a professor of mine throughout my first two years of school at the WCVM. He was an excellent professor, and I will keep his lessons with me for life. This scholarship could not come at a better time for me. Entering 4th year, I was not fully prepared for the new rotations added to my classes schedule, which began in May. These new rotations did not allow for me to work this summer, placing me on a tighter budget than anticipated. This scholarship will cover my travel costs to both of my bovine focused externships. My first externship will be taking place with Dr. Jodi Wallace at Ormstown Veterinary Hospital, with a focus on dairy consult medicine. My second externship will be with Dr. Jason Schonknecht at BarrNorth Veterinary Services, with a focus on beef medicine and calving. I am really looking forward to these externships, they will be a huge benefit to my education and will help prepare me for my career in large animal medicine. I am incredibly grateful to the WCABP for this scholarship and for the opportunity to expand my education and my hands-on experiences. Thank you as well to Dr. Jelinski for your contributions to the bovine world and for being an amazing professor, veterinarian, and role model.
Before entering veterinary school, I spent nearly 10 years working in the dairy industry, where I developed a deep appreciation for the dedication of producers and the importance of promoting animal health and welfare. Those experiences shaped my goal of becoming a large animal veterinarian who partners with farmers to improve herd health and productivity while advocating for a strong, sustainable agricultural community. This year, I will be completing an externship in England, where I hope to gain experience with different dairy production systems and approaches to herd health management. I am excited to broaden my perspective on production medicine, learn from veterinarians working in a different agricultural setting, and bring new knowledge and ideas back to my future practice in Canada.
