AHS Student Wins Scholarship

An animal health science student has won a $2,000 national scholarship for aspiring registered veterinary technicians.

Elise Contreras was awarded a Zoetis Foundation/American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) Veterinary Technician Student Scholarship.

She said she plans to use the scholarship to pay for academic-related expenses like books and parking passes and will save a portion toward paying for her registered veterinary technician exam and license.

“This is a huge relief for a student working part time who only qualifies for loans and not other forms of financial aid,” Contreras said.  

Work Experience Informs Education

A Pico Rivera native, Contreras has worked as a veterinary assistant for an animal hospital in Whittier for nine years. She originally wanted to become a veterinarian, but decided to pursue a career as an RVT because of her work experience.

Contreras came to Cal Poly Pomona because it has the only four-year, accredited program for RVTs in Southern California.

“Cal Poly Pomona has enhanced my knowledge and given me the reasoning as to the why behind everything we do,” she said. “This major has strengthened my understanding of the field and encourages me to strive to do better.”

The Pico Rivera native plans to graduate next year and obtain her registered veterinary technician’s license. She wants to pursue a specialty license in one of the categories offered for technicians.

“I currently work in general practice and am considering other routes, post graduation, like research or surgery,” she said.

Scholarship Program's Goal

The Zoetis/AVMF scholarship program focuses on addressing the issue of student debt and the need to foster diversity in the profession – issues that greatly impact the future of the veterinary profession.

It is awarded to outstanding, full-time veterinary technician students in good standing at an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology, veterinary nursing, or animal health technology program in the United States.

Students must be entering the second year of a two-year program or the third year of a four-year program.

With her extensive experience working at an animal hospital, Contreras decided to give the scholarship program a shot.

“I’ve always been told there’s so much money left over from scholarships,” she said. “I figured I had a fairly good chance of being selected.”

Another Cal Poly Pomona student, Samantha Bumanglag, was one of more than 200 scholarship recipients last year.

Foundations' Purpose

AVMF is the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world.

The foundation provides grants to help veterinarians help animals through education, animal welfare, disaster relief, and research programs.

The Zoetis Foundation builds on the animal health care company Zoetis Inc.’s purpose by advancing care for animals through grants that support veterinarians and farmers around the world.