VetText is proud to support the CSU veterinary students through an annual scholarship. Students from each class as well as the members of the university community are given the opportunity to nominate a veterinary student that they feel exhibits one or more commendable qualities. Nominations are confidential and only read by members of VetText Board. One nominee from each class is chosen based on the quality, rather than the quantity, of nominations.

2022 Winners

Class of 2022 – Kristina Williams 
My name is Kristy, and I am a member of the (now graduated) Class of 2022. I am originally from Boston, Massachusetts, but I lived in San Diego, California, before veterinary school. Before my veterinary school journey, I worked in small animal internal medicine, research, and zoo medicine. I have always been one for a challenge and knew that the career I pursued would need to be impactful and fulfilling. My road to veterinary school was not easy. Still, after a couple of
application cycles and a lot of hard work, I am fortunate enough to have just completed my DVM at Colorado State University. I promised myself that if I were to be accepted, I would take full advantage of the opportunities for involvement and even ran for president of my class in 2018. I remained president of my class for all four years and, through that role, was able to meet and get to know so many of my classmates, something I will always be grateful for. My class helped
me through some of the most challenging moments of my life in veterinary school, and it means so much to me to think that I also helped them in return. My next stop after graduation is North Carolina State University for a Small Animal Rotating Internship, but I will immensely miss the fantastic community here at Colorado State University. Life can move in many different directions, and I hope to be back in Fort Collins someday. I am immensely grateful for this award, my excellent Class of 2022, and my entire CSU journey.

Class of 2023 – Emma Pray 

I can not thank you enough for this incredible scholarship! I was so surprised to hear that I am one of this year’s recipients and would like to first thank Katya Spitznagel for nominating me. I was born and raised in Colorado and am one of those “stereotypical” vet students who has wanted to be a veterinarian since I was a small child. My DVM will be my third degree from Colorado State, with the first two being a BS in Biomedical Science and an MS in Toxicology. As of now, my plan is to pursue a career in wildlife and zoological medicine. I have an interest in conservation medicine and want to learn everything I can about treating wild animals while maintaining their natural husbandry as much as possible. This plan starts this summer when I
will be heading out of state for ten weeks of externship time in zoo medicine and wildlife rehabilitation. This generous scholarship money will therefore be incredibly helpful to me this year as I navigate traveling out of state and staying in a major city for the longest period of time I have ever attempted. After graduation, I hope to complete a small animal rotating internship before diving into the world of academia and working towards becoming board certified in wildlife medicine through ACZM. I know that the opportunities to continue growing and learning as a veterinarian will still be numerous for many years to come, and I am grateful for it. Thank you so much again for helping to provide opportunities for students like me to fulfil our
veterinary medicine dreams!

Class of 2024- Nolan Bunting
I want to thank everyone for receiving this scholarship. I feel humble in accepting a
scholarship that recognized my “helping hand” because without the support of my peers, educators and staff I would not be able to be helpful. Helping is something that we all do for one another and I have benefited from all the help I have received. We support each other intellectually, emotionally and socially every day. Each one my peers and professors have unique qualities to facilitate our understanding of veterinary medicine but most importantly have shared their back stories to support our larger understanding of how to manage a day, a week or a lifetime. Their participation, not only in a professional standpoint, but on a level of friendship and support has made this journey navigable. I also want to recognize the employees
around us that keep this program running. I can hardly begin to list the way their “helping hands” have assisted in our educational path.
Helping is innate in all of us and we can all remember the times receiving help has made a difference. It is also rewarding to be able to be on the giving end rather than the receiving end. I grew up in a small town in Alaska and helping others, helping an animal or the environment was natural behavior. I can’t explain the comfort in growing up knowing that our entire community would help anyone, regardless of their beliefs, resources, or lifestyle in a crisis or in just managing the path we were taking. The benevolent people helped me to learn to give and receive just as you have. Being recognized for this scholarship seems superfluous. I want to sincerely thank you for giving it to me but I recognize that we equally are deserving of this award.

Class of 2025 – Becky Provensal 
Being nominated and selected for this scholarship is an incredible honor. I know it is easy for me to be hard on myself and focus on my failures rather than my success and achievements. I know this is probably true for many students in veterinary medicine. However, being granted this award really helped me open my eyes to how much I really did accomplish in my first year of vet school with the goal of promoting a collaborative and positive environment for my colleagues. My hope is for all of those struggling with their failures and successes to focus more on their good intent and know that those intentions never go unnoticed. I have always been an
advocate for actively acknowledging the efforts made by others to promote wellness and confidence - because being told you’re appreciated goes such a long way. I want to thank all my classmates, who supported me in my role as class president and provided me with many great ideas for improvements to communicate to our  instructors and administration. I also want to thank my instructors for promoting a positive environment and enabling students to succeed. Finally, I want to thank all the wonderful friends I have made in vet school so far, that have been a significant support system for myself and each other. We’re all in this together!