AVS Grad Earns Vet School Admission, Scholarship

A recent Huntley College of Agriculture graduate was awarded a prestigious scholarship to attend veterinary school this fall.

David Frausto received the Frederick Douglass Patterson Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship to attend the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine starting in August.

Frausto (’21, animal science) said attending veterinary school and becoming a veterinarian has long been a dream. But it was a dream that led him to try and become an ideal “statistic” or candidate, rather than trying to be himself.

“However, the more time I spent at Cal Poly Pomona, the more I became myself and less of a statistic,” the West Covina native said. “I also learned exactly what I want to do in life, which is to help animals in need and educate others. All of my experiences have made me a more well-rounded individual and learn to support others, which helped me become a stronger applicant for veterinary schools.”

The scholarship will cover $10,000 of Frausto’s tuition and is renewable for all four years of veterinary school. It is named after Frederick Douglass Patterson, who earned his doctorate in veterinary medicine at Iowa State, served as president of the Tuskegee Institute, and founded the United Negro College Fund.

Frausto aspires to work as a shelter veterinarian, giving back to the community by taking care of companion and wildlife animals.

“However, in the future, I do plan to return to my roots in academia where I can serve as a professor and educate the new generation of students that are interested in the veterinary field,” he said.

Frausto had some advice to pass along to fellow Cal Poly Pomona students.

“Being in a field that is very competitive can make anyone feel that they need to be the best in the room,” he said. “However, this only isolates us from others who can make us become the best versions of ourselves.”

Once students stop seeing each other as competition and more as friends and colleagues, the happier and more successful they will be, Frausto said.

“Helping each other will bring out the best in one another and that’s how you discover your passions and learn more about yourself,” he said. “Becoming more openminded and working with others causes us to see from different perspectives and allows new ideas to form and to contribute to the ever-changing world.”