Four students in the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design have gotten a head start on funding their continuing educations.

Three future veterinarians and a future lawyer have received awards from the H.E. “Doc” Kidder Memorial Trust, which will provide them with thousands of dollars for each year of their post-baccalaureate instruction.

This year’s Kidder scholarship recipients are: Ora Ford, Lewisburg, W.Va.; Katelyn Hlusko, Fairmont, W.Va.; Brittany Ours, Purgitsville, W.Va.; and Patrick Parsons, Parkersburg, W.Va. Each will receive $2,500 annually during their continued studies.

Ford is an animal and nutritional sciences major. He’s volunteered at the Fairlea Animal Hospital and the Seneca Trail Animal Hospital in Lewisburg. He’s an active member of WVU’s chapter of Block and Bridle and the Davis College’s Dairy Science Club. Ford has been accepted to the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Hlusko is an animal and nutritional sciences major. She was named a WVU Foundation Outstanding Senior, and the WVU chapter of national honorary Gamma Sigma Delta honored her with an Outstanding Senior award. She served as a team co-captain in the 2010 and 2011 Relay for Life fundraisers and has volunteered at veterinary clinics during her time as a student. Hlusko has been accepted to the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Ours is an animal and nutritional sciences major. She has volunteered at veterinary clinics in preparation for her future profession. She has been active in Block and Bridle, Collegiate 4-H, and the WVU Equestrian Club. She has been accepted to the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Parsons is completing two majors, animal and nutritional sciences in the Davis College and international studies in WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. He has received the WVU Presidential Scholarship, the Eberly College Loyalty Permanent Endowment Scholarship, and the Robert E. DiClerico Scholarship in Democratic Institutions and Public Leadership. He interned with the U.S. Department of State’s foreign affairs unit in Washington, D.C. Parsons has been accepted to Syracuse University’s College of Law.

The memorial trust honors the late H.E. “Doc” Kidder, professor emeritus of animal and veterinary sciences in the Davis College. He had a distinguished career at WVU as a researcher and educator, serving from 1954 to 1988. After his death in 1989, his will created the trust to support Davis College students in their graduate or professional education. Selection is based on academic performance with added consideration for leadership and financial need.

“The funds provided by the Kidder awards are among many ways the Davis College helps students make their professional dreams come true,” said Matt Wilson, interim director of the college’s Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences. “We offer rigorous academic programs that are excellent preparation for studies in human and veterinary medicine, and we encourage independent study and undergraduate research.”

The Davis College is also home to the Davis-Michael Scholars Program, a challenging track that prepares students for continued education in medical professions and the sciences. The Division also holds reciprocal agreements with several out-of-state schools of veterinary medicine that secure spaces for qualified WVU graduates.

“Many people argue that veterinary school admission is even more competitive than it is for medical school,” Wilson said. “We’re dedicated to offering the best possible preparation for veterinary school, and we’re proud that we can include financial support in that preparation.”

-WVU-

dw/4/25/11

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