N.C. State PreVet students sweep top awards at APVMA annual event

PreVeterinary students from N.C. State University’s PreVet Club were top winners at the annual conference of the American PreVeterinary Medical Association (APVMA), held March 1-3 at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The 13 N.C. State students who traveled to the event were mentored by Dr. Shweta Trivedi, director of the Veterinary Professions Advising Center (VetPAC), which is housed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Animal Science Department.

Among the national honors received by the N.C. State contingent:

• The PreVet Club earned the award for Outstanding Club Community Service (the only club award that is presented each year);
• Elizabeth Hyde, a CALS senior animal science and zoology major, was named Outstanding Senior PreVet;
• Erin Beasley, sophomore in animal science and VetPAC intern, won the very competitive $500 scholarship award for curricular and extra-curricular achievements;
• Kimberly Schreiber, junior in animal science, was elected treasurer of the APVMA Executive Board.              

“Our PreVets have upheld the tradition of representing N.C. State very well at this national event,” Trivedi said, noting that the 2010 APVMA national president and 2011 secretary also were students from N.C. State. “I could not be more proud of our PreVet students. I have not only taught Anatomy and Physiology to all these winners, but they have also been my VetPAC interns.”

Trivedi, who accompanied the students in two mini-vans to attend the conference, also organized and acted as chair of the PreVet Advisers meeting and led the discussion “Best Practices in PreVet Advising.”

The APVMA Symposium is an event designed to promote pre-veterinary interest in professional veterinary medicine. It provides an opportunity for pre-veterinary students to meet and interact with veterinarians through labs and lectures covering a number of different fields and career paths. Held each year at different colleges of veterinary medicine within the United States, last year’s symposium was hosted by VetPAC and N.C. State’s PreVet Club. – Terri Leith