The school honored scholarship donors and some of their student recipients this week at the annual Evening of Gratitude. Dean Lairmore kicked off the event and announced that the school had been able to provide $6.7 million in total support for our students this year—$2.5 million from gifts and endowments and $4.2 million in grants. That support is made possible by the generosity of our individual, association and corporate scholarship donors.

A few examples of new investments in students include:

• The Ebony Compassionate Care Scholarship Fund created by alumni from some of our recent classes— Dr. Anjolie Daryani, Class of ’15, and Dr. Dustin Noack, Class of ‘14 and our first Evening of Gratitude speaker. Their gift will support a student who demonstrates exceptional compassionate care for animals.

• The Old English Sheepdog League of Northern California created two scholarships—one in memory of Ms.  Debra Lehr and the other in memory of Ms. Jennifer Ansell.

• The Marty Bryant Memorial MPVM Scholarship fund in honor of Ms. Bryant’s longtime administrative support to the MPVM program and the school. 

• The Northern San Joaquin Veterinary Medical Association Endowed Scholarship to serve veterinary students graduating from high schools primarily in northern San Joaquin counties who are interested in either small or large animal practice.

The evening also included talks by newly appointed Associate Dean of Student Programs Karl Jandrey, and student speaker Spencer Fennick, Class of 2018. Fennick has served as a tour guide for our veterinary hospital since 2015 and has participated as a teaching aide in the summer UC Davis Cosmos program that encourages high school students to consider future study in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.) 

He shared a touching story of a special childhood friend, Hayden, who was tragically killed in an accident before entering high school. Hayden knew of Spencer’s passion to help animals and while they hadn’t seen each other for a few years, Hayden’s last words to Spencer were: “You are going to be a great vet.” Those words of confidence stuck with Spencer throughout his journey to veterinary school. 

Dean Lairmore also shared a video that highlights the impacts of scholarships to students and benefits to those who provide them.

“We are grateful for your generosity, your commitment, and your belief that UC Davis will carry a legacy that lives on long into the future,” Lairmore said. “Your future gifts will make possible what we have only dreamt about or have yet to plan. We will never forget the trust you place in us with your investment in the future of our university. On behalf of the School of Veterinary Medicine and UC Davis, thank you!”