ADAM: Hello everyone, my name is Adam Tatnall and I am a member of the class of 2024.This is my wife Amber and we are honored to be here today to speak about the significant impact that donors like you have on young veterinarians in the making as well as their families.
After graduating with our bachelor degrees from UC Davis in 2017, we took a step back to evaluate the best path forward to manage the repayment of our undergraduate student loan debt while also setting ourselves up for my pursuit of a degree in veterinary medicine. We began following the Dave Ramsey Baby Step program to pay down our debt as fast as possible and succeeded in achieving our goal of debt freedom in the fall of 2018.
AMBER: We then pivoted our focus to saving as much money as possible for the impending cost of veterinary school, with most four-year programs costing well over $100,000. Using the motivational momentum gained from our success in paying down our undergraduate student loan debt, we continued to work long hours and sacrifice unnecessary expenses with the goal in mind to remain debt free while Adam pursued an education in veterinary medicine. We knew this to be a lofty goal, but we also knew that if we remained intentional with our financial choices that it would be possible.
ADAM: After arriving in Illinois in the summer of 2020, we each continued to work long hours and make sacrifices in pursuit of our goal. Unfortunately, this meant that I spent most of my time outside the classroom working or studying which prevented me from participating in the extracurricular activities needed to position myself as a competitive candidate for post-graduate opportunities. However, all of that changed last year when I was the recipient of a significant and generous scholarship made possible by donors like those of you here with us today. Being the recipient of the Jester Scholarship had a marked impact on my veterinary student career. It provided me with the freedom to take up the extracurricular activities that I had not yet had the time to participate in and also opened the doorway to some wonderful research opportunities.
AMBER: Speaking of those opportunities, I was proud to support Adam as his hard work came to fruition when he presented his summer research project at the annual American Association of Swine Veterinarians conference in March. The financial support he received from last year’s scholarship allowed him to complete a summer internship with Carthage Veterinary Services that included a research project, production farm visits, and networking with various individuals in the swine industry. In addition to this, I witnessed Adam grow and flourish as he served on the executive boards of several clubs including the Production Medicine and Laboratory Animal clubs. He was able to spend less time working and focus his energy and efforts on expanding his horizons in the field of vet med.
ADAM: Without the support of generous donors, stories like ours would not be possible. While I recognize that I am fortunate to have a supportive wife to work hard alongside me in reducing the financial burden that comes along with a veterinary education, it also came at the expense of long hours spent working and missed opportunities to expand my growth outside the classroom. Scholarships ease the financial burden for all recipients whether that be in reducing student loan debt or reducing the amount of working hours needed to cash flow tuition.
AMBER: So on behalf of my husband, myself, and all those who benefit from the outrageous generosity of those who donate their money, time, and wisdom we would like to say thank you! Your investment in these students demonstrates your passion for the veterinary profession and its future generations.
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