Veterinary students receive international scholarships

• Four veterinary students received the scholarship: Julia Pietrasina, Maria Noszczyk, Marta Marcinek and Michaela Sulkenikova.
• The students plan to use the scholarships to further develop by going on internships abroad.

The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe is an organisation associating approximately 300,000 veterinarians from 39 European countries. It is involved in activities aimed at improving animal health and welfare, as well as protecting the environment by promoting the veterinary profession. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to disseminating medicines and vaccines, as well as knowledge and technology, to improve the health, wellbeing and efficiency of animals.

The scholarship from the 2021 Veterinary Student Scholarship Programme created by these organisations is aimed at supporting third-, fourth- and fifth-year veterinary students in acquiring knowledge, starting their future careers, and indirectly supporting the further development of the field. This year, out of 155 people who submitted applications, the commission selected 68 students from, among others, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland.

Among the many factors that determine whether a scholarship is awarded, one of the most important ones is the student's overall activity and commitment, and the young and ambitious winners of the programme from the UPWr can boast many achievements.

Who are the winners?

Julia Pietrasina, one of the scholarship winners, has been working at the International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA) since the beginning of her studies. She is currently the president of the Wrocław branch. Last year she was also a member of the Standing Committee on Wellness, an international committee that is IVSA Global's mental health veterinary body.

Julia regularly takes part in international congresses and symposia organised by IVSA and is active in scientific societies: 'Mephitis' Exotic Animal Medicine and 'Skrzydlica' Ichthyopathologists, she has also recently joined the 'Eza' Student Scientific Society.

– In the near future, however, I would like to put more focus on research. My friend Imane Sghir and I have some ideas for research that we want to carry out this year in the 'Mephitis' scientific society. I am particularly interested in wild and exotic animals, including cartilaginous fish, which I focus on at the 'Skrzydlica' Students’ Society – emphasises the student, who plans a future in exotic and wild animal veterinary medicine.

The second winner from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences is Maria Noszczyk, who is studying at the Estonian University of Life Sciences this academic year under the Erasmus + programme. Last year she was active in the Wroclaw branch of IVSA, giving lectures on animal welfare, and currently, during her time abroad, she is working at the Estonian branch of the organisation. Maria has also recently become the secretary of the European Association of Avian Veterinarians (EAAV), the European bird veterinarian association with which she plans to organise a series of webinars.

In addition to working in large organisations, Maria also gave her own lectures. – I gave lectures on animal welfare and behaviourism at the Macondo cafe in Wrocław. So far I have talked about dogs, cats and cows, and when I come back I plan to organise a lecture on pigs, chickens and much more. These are lectures for anyone interested in animal husbandry, their needs or body language. I try to prevent misinformation during my lectures by pointing out good sources of information and teaching students to verify them – says Maria, who in her free time, as a member of the Almukantarat Astronomy Club, also goes to science camps with teenagers, where she mainly runs courses on astronomy, chemistry, as well as medical and behavioural issues. In cooperation with Science Camps of the Warsaw University of Technology, she also plans to create her own programme for high school students for a one-week course in medicine and animal behaviour.

Maria admits that she dreams of combining both interests in the future – veterinary and astronomy, although at first glance it seems impossible. –Over the last few years interest in space has increased. Thanks to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, space travel has become more accessible. Commercial flights or trips to Mars are slowly becoming more realistic. Therefore, I believe that there will soon be a great demand for astrobiologists, who will be able to identify, define and study extraterrestrial life – explains the fourth-year veterinary student.

Marta Marcinek, the third winner of the 2021 Veterinary Student Scholarship Programme, is also actively involved in IVSA – more specifically in the IVSA Equine Community, co-founded by Zuzanna Żabińska – a student at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences. Marta, who is event manager at IVSA Equine Community, is responsible, among others, for organising events, webinars and conferences.

– The last foreign conference that we managed to organise had to be held online because of the pandemic, but if everything goes well and covid restrictions allow for it, we plan to have the next overseas conference in Morocco – says Marta, talking about her work at IVSA Equine Community.

In addition to her activities for the international association of veterinary students, she is also the vice-president of the 'Lancet' Students’ Society of Veterinary Surgery, where she organises conferences and develops scientific activities. Marta is also a volunteer at the Sassebi horse workshops. – In the future I would like to work with horses. I am mainly interested in dentistry and the reproduction of these animals. I plan to combine research with practice, especially since horse dentistry is developing incredibly well – says Marta.

The fourth veterinary student to win a scholarship is Michaela Sukenikova, who is studying at the English Division. She is currently a member of IVSA Wrocław and its Standing Committee on One Health, and also works in the following organisations: BSAVA, WSAVA and IVAPM. In addition, she is a member of the local AIESEC committee, in which some of the projects she is involved in relate to animals and veterinary medicine. Michaela is also a lead in Global Alliance for Rabies Control.

– After graduation I want to work in a veterinary emergency clinic specialising in the treatment of exotic animals. But I'm also interested in marine mammals, so I am trying to gain experience in various fields of veterinary medicine to find out what I like and what I'm good at. I even have an internship at a marine animal clinic in the US planned for the summer of 2023 – says Michaela.

Small and large travels

All the winners plan to use their scholarship for foreign trips, internships and apprenticeships in order to gain new skills and experience.

– I am currently on an Erasmus exchange, and although we can go to another institution for a two-month placement as part of the exchange grant, I am also interested in short, two-week internships, which this grant does not cover. Thanks to funds from the 2021 Veterinary Student Scholarship Programme I will be able to develop more intensively – says Maria, explaining how she plans to use her scholarship. Julia, who also dreams of going abroad for an internship, feels the same: – I hope that the scholarship will enable me to obtain international experience. Working at IVSA has shown me how valuable exchange experiences are, as well as getting to know other cultures – emphasises the student.

Marta has similar plans. Like Maria, she plans to combine the scholarship with overseas experience with the Erasmus+ programme. – The scholarship will allow me to cover the costs of travel, covid tests and accommodation, as I am planning to go to Dublin. In addition, I am also in contact with some foreign clinics and I want to spend part of the summer holidays in Belgium, where I will mainly focus on orthopedics and horse dentistry – says Marta, emphasising that she is particularly interested in this trip, because the above-mentioned clinic puts focus not only on practical experience, but also supports scientific activities.

Michaela, on the other hand, plans to use her scholarship to travel to the other end of the world. – It will enable me to finance a summer internship at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in Australia – says the English Division student, who plans to gain experience there in the department of neurology, cancer, emergency and surgery.

For their achievements, as part of the scholarship, the winners will receive 2,500 dollars from MSD Animal Health and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe for further development.