HSVMA's 2024 Veterinary Student Compassionate Care Scholarship Recipients  

September 25, 2024

By Heather Schrader RVT, MCJ

HSVMA has recognized exceptionally compassionate veterinary students for the past nine years, and this marks the second year that HSVMA has awarded five $10,000 scholarships to veterinary students who have demonstrated a dedication to animal welfare. These scholarships recognize veterinary students who not only demonstrate an interest in animal welfare, but also represent a commitment to equitable access and inclusion in veterinary medicine via service or lived experience. 

HSVMA recognizes that we cannot advance animal welfare without deliberate and conscious attempts to include more people and more perspectives.  This year's scholarship selection process was, therefore, deliberately designed to support efforts to expand access to veterinary care in underserved communities and to promote diverse representation within the veterinary profession itself.  HSVMA would like to acknowledge and thank all of the many qualified applicants.  They reinforce HSVMA's commitment to student outreach and reveal the remarkable activities that vet students achieve while in school.

2024 Compassionate Care Scholarship Recipients

Krista (Yiyao) Li, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2025

Marisol Rivera-Ramirez, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, class of 2026

Miahuatl Kuauhtzin, Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026

Morgan Berner-Jones, Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2027

Roberta Bailey, Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026

Krista (Yiyao) Li (she/her) 

University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2025

Krista (Yiyao) stated in her scholarship application: "Providing compassionate care takes courage, kindness, and most importantly life-long learning to ensure the welfare of patients." HSVMA can't agree more!  Krista exemplifies this statement through her professional and volunteer activities.  As the past Treasurer, then President, of the HSVMA Student Chapter at University of Wisconsin-Madison SVM, she organized multiple low-cost spay/neuter clinics at a local humane society where cats in the rural community received life-saving medical care.  Krista also organized suture labs providing her fellow veterinary students the skills needed for volunteering on Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) clinics - a program that Krista has volunteered with multiple times.  These clinics provide continued access to care for people and pets on Native Nations.  

As a BIPOC student, Krista's past experience with discrimination and implicit bias informed her commitment to advocate for inclusivity within the veterinary profession. As Treasurer and Vice-President of the Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) Chapter, a student-run organization that celebrates diversity and seeks to increase awareness of issues surrounding inclusivity within the profession, Krista helped coordinate an outreach internship with a local organization for BIPOC youth interested in the life sciences.  In addition, she founded and served on an Anti-Racism Forum Committee on campus which planned seminars and events to bring awareness to systemic racism in veterinary medicine.  There's no doubt that Krista's passion led her to be chosen as a member of the SVM Dean Search Committee.  Dr. Karen Hershberger-Braker, Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison SVM, says, "In addition to her exemplary leadership and compassionate clinical care, Krista’s identity as a person of color brings a valuable perspective to our veterinary school community and the broader field of veterinary medicine."

Marisol Rivera-Ramirez (she/her)

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, class of 2026

Marisol has shown a strong commitment to breaking down barriers that impede access to veterinary care for pets and their people and access to the sciences and veterinary medicine for BIPOC students.  She experienced this need for accessibility at a young age when she had to navigate the human medical field as translator for an ailing relative. Marisol works as a Program Mentor for Adventures in Veterinary Medicine, a summer program for middle school through college-aged students who want to explore the field of vet med.  She created a lecture called Barriers in Veterinary Medicine to focus on relationships between vets, their clients and pets and how to navigate these relationships with the hope of removing systemic barriers to care.  "As part of her role, she developed a new presentation for our program on barriers to and in veterinary medicine after evaluating topics that were missing from our agenda. We now anticipate that her presentation will be part of our high school and college curricula moving forward," states John Chenier, Recruitment Outreach Director for the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Climate at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Seeing a broader need for these skills, Marisol and a classmate created a student-run podcast called Breaking Barriers.  Marisol says, "This podcast seeks to broaden the view of Veterinary Medicine by creating conversation around accessibility barriers in our field with the goal of increasing visibility and understanding. We discuss topics centered around social justice and misinformation alongside experts in the field while partnering with the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association to be a resource for Spanish Medical Translation." Marisol has implemented some solutions for overcoming existing barriers by working with the Worcester Housing Authority and Tufts at Tech, the vet school's community clinic.  She assists their efforts to provide vet care for pets of low-income families by translating materials and forms from English to Spanish.  Marisol also works as a translator so clients can understand information regarding the health of their pet and any medical care that may be recommended.  

Miahuatl Kuauhtzin (she/her)

Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026

Miahuatl Kuauhtzin is Indigenous Nawa from Central Mexico and was raised with her Indigenous culture and language, Nahuatl.  Miahuatl attended Anawakalmekak, a public charter school offering students "a comprehensive education that combines academic excellence, Native wisdom, and Indigenous heritage and history" and continues to sponsor the Veterinary & Animal Club she created there while an undergraduate at UCLA.  Her work with Anawakalmekak students has inspired compassion and advocacy for animals and is making a significant impact on student interest in careers that protect animals and their habitats.  Miahuatl also serves as a Yolsentlapixkeh Wildlife Conservation Project Mentor at Chief Ya’anna Learning Village.  She works with Yolsentlapixkeh Youth Researchers to study the recently reestablished Gabrielino-Shoshone Nation land reserve as part of its rematriation and transformation into a eco-cultural center.  She states, "Wildlife are sacred beings interconnected to our identities, cultures, and worldviews as many play roles in our origin and teaching stories. Indigenous Peoples can be integral in conservation efforts offering centuries-old knowledge of co-existing with native wildlife around them and oral history regarding everything they have observed from these various species. However, Indigenous peoples are often excluded from such efforts, so I seek to bridge this gap as a healer and scientist guided by my Indigenous culture and academic science background." Miahuatl was also invited to become an Indigenous Wildlife Ecology Fellow.  Jose Montes de Oca, Vice-Principal of Anawakalmekak, says "as a Fellow, Miahuatl is responsible for developing an Environmental Biology Survey Report on a unique 12-acre urban landscape and reinforcing the protecting wildlife sanctuary established by our school."  

At Western University, Miahuatl served as President of the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association student chapter.  The chapter holds diversity workshops and lectures, created and distributed Spanish veterinary terms/language to the student body and collaborates with other organizations such as The Street Dog Coalition to provide care for underserved communities. Miahuatl also served as a track leader for the Western University of Health Sciences’ Pomona Health Career Ladder (PHCL) program.  This program offers vet med curriculum for high school students attending the Pomona Unified School District and local Indigenous schools and teaches hands-on medical skills.

Morgan Berner-Jones (she/her)

Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2027

Growing up in an area of Texas close to the border with Mexico, Morgan experienced life in a socio-economically depressed region and saw how this not only impacts community members, but animals who call that area home.  The large, free-roaming dog and cat populations were a cause for concern about welfare issues, access to care and public health.  Morgan found the opportunity to work with programs successfully serving marginalized populations and began volunteering as a Registered Veterinary Technician at Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) clinics.  Her extensive work with RAVS inspired her to pursue a Master's of Science in Veterinary Medical Science, Shelter Medicine, from the University of Florida.  Morgan's research there measured the impact of population management on free-roaming dogs in Indigenous communities.   

While managing an emergency practice in Colorado, Morgan collaborated with Weld County Humane Society to provide subsidized veterinary care to pets in the community.  She was a part of a team that spearheaded a partnership with Denver Dumb Friends League to identify existing areas of need in Hispanic communities.  As a result of this work, her team was recognized by the Hispanic Women of Weld County Foundation.  Morgan stated that receiving this scholarship "represents the impact that culture, compassion, and equality play in veterinary medicine and honors my commitment to bridge the gap between access to care and underserved communities of color."  Morgan plans to help address the animal welfare issues in her Rio Grande Valley community and communities across the United States after graduation.  Dr. Jodi Boyd, Surgical Skills Educator at Colorado State University CVM, states that "Morgan embodies the principles of compassion, cultural sensitivity, and dedication to service that this scholarship seeks to promote."  

Roberta Bailey (she/her)

Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, class of 2026

Roberta served as the President of the HSVMA Student Chapter at Western University during her Freshman year and took the opportunity to collaborate with The Street Dog Coalition and organize a clinic that provided free basic veterinary care to pets of people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness in the Pomona, CA, community.  Since that initial - and significant! - accomplishment, she has continued to remain active organizing and volunteering at clinics.  Roberta also expanded the services offered at these clinics to provide pet food and offer spay/neuter surgeries.  She also collaborated with the other colleges at Western to offer health screenings to the pet parents, making the clinics a true One Health initiative.  Roberta remains passionate about access to care and regularly volunteers with a number of organizations that provide affordable preventative care to the community.

Dedication can be seen in Roberta's statement, "By educating the public about veterinary medicine, I aim to inspire future generations to consider this rewarding profession. Animal welfare remains something I am devoted to, and I am determined to continue serving underserved communities in my career."  By identifying the role that veterinarians play in animal welfare, society and the environment, Roberta has committed to educating others about the profession and its interdisciplinary nature.  She has spoken to college students about careers in the profession and its role in One Health.  Roberta was also elected as a student member of the California Veterinary Medical Association's Animal Welfare Committee.  Here she works with other members to help draft animal policies within the state of California.  Dr. Rhea Hanselmann, Assistant Professor at Western CVM, states that Roberta "...is committed to improving access to veterinary care in underserved communities and to improve the welfare of animals at all levels – from individualized care to policy change. She has sought out diverse opportunities to develop her perspective and make an impact in these areas."

Click here to read about last year's Compassionate Care Scholarship recipients