Skip to main content
Home

Main Menu

  • take action
    • make a donation
    • monthly giving
    • other ways to give
    • donate faqs
  • ways to adopt
    • find a pet
    • adoption centres
    • adoption events
  • partner with us
    • our grants
    • adoption partners
    • partner resource centre
    • faqs
  • about us
    • leadership
    • financials
    • news & PR
    • careers
  • our stories
    • community impact
    • journey home
    • unconditional love
    • disaster response
  • our research

Main Menu

  • take action
    • make a donation
    • monthly giving
    • other ways to give
    • donate faqs
  • ways to adopt
    • find a pet
    • adoption centres
    • adoption events
  • partner with us
    • our grants
    • adoption partners
    • partner resource centre
    • faqs
  • about us
    • leadership
    • financials
    • news & PR
    • careers
  • our stories
    • community impact
    • journey home
    • unconditional love
    • disaster response
  • our research

adopt

donate

community impact

PetSmart Charities Veterinary Scholarship Winners

scholarship recipient
scholarship recipient

written by

Staff Writer

February 21, 2025

Get to know some of the veterinary scholarship recipients making the world a better place for pets

share

If you’re ready to join this inspiring pack of veterinary professionals making a difference, apply for this year’s PetSmart Charities Veterinary Scholarship program.

Angello Gutierrez

Angello Gutierrez (Ohio State University) – Angello is committed to providing accessible veterinary care through his experience working in the nonprofit community veterinary sector. His passion for removing barriers to veterinary care made him a successful candidate for the PetSmart Charities Veterinary Scholarship program.
 

Ashley Steele

Ashley Steele (Midwestern University) – Ashley founded VetCORE, an organization that provides free veterinary care to pets of people experiencing homelessness. She’s passionate about removing barriers to pet care and helping both pets and their people.

Destiny Sarno

Destiny Sarno (North Carolina State University) – Destiny combines a love for pets and compassion for people through her work to help provide services for pets and their families. With the PetSmart Charities Veterinary Scholarship, she aims to make a greater impact for pets and people in communities that face challenges accessing veterinary care.

Ifra Danawala

Ifra Danawala (Texas A&M University) – Ifra demonstrates a commitment to preserving the human-animal bond by helping people access care for their pets. She aims to bridge the gap in veterinary care and foster healthier families and communities.

Jesus Hernandez

Jesus Hernandez (Purdue) – Jesus sits on the board of the International Veterinary Student Association. His passion for animal welfare stemmed from his lived experience growing up in a community that lacked accessible veterinary care, which inspired him to focus on keeping pets together with their families by providing equal access to essential veterinary services.

Summer Lara

Summer Lara (Colorado State University) – Summer’s Indigenous Dakota roots set her on a path to pursue veterinary medicine. The traditional value of reciprocity inspired her to want to give back by helping to increase access to veterinary care in communities like hers. She demonstrates a passion to creating trusting relationships between patients, clients and veterinarians to help remove barriers to care.

Becoming a Scholarship Winner 

What is it like to find out you’ve just become one of our scholarship recipients? When Paige Palomaki was awarded the award in 2021, she was thrilled. Watch her speak about what the scholarship meant to her work.

"I believe accessible veterinary care is a public health issue, especially since the barriers people face to accessing quality vet care are likely the same barriers they face to receive quality health care for themselves,” says Paige. “I hope to take the soft and hard skills I am gaining working in the community medicine world via VeTouch into my future career."

Ready to apply? Click here to get started.

See Our
3

Impact in Action

community impact
Low Cost Veterinary Care Resources
CanadaCanadian Animal Task Force Society  |…
read more arrow-right-primary
community impact
Announcing PetSmart Charities of Canada 2025 Adoption Prep Grantees
PetSmart Charities of Canada has helped more than 400 thousand pets across Canada find loving homes through our in-store adoption…
read more arrow-right-primary
community impact
2023 Annual Report
Together we made the world a better place for pets and those who love them. We’re proud to share our 2023 Annual Report and invite you…
read more arrow-right-primary
Home

adopt

donate

  • donate
    • make a donation
    • other ways to give
    • donate faqs
  • adopt
    • find a pet
    • adoption centres
    • adoption events
  • partner
    • adoption partners
    • our grants
    • partner resource centre
    • faqs
  • about us
    • leadership
    • news & PR
    • careers
    • financials
    • contact
  • articles
    • community impact
    • journey home
    • trending tales
    • unconditional love
  • impact

contact us

say hello

send a message

stay connected

CAPTCHA
1 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

©2024 PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Site map

 

 
1100 Burloak Drive, Floor 2, Burlington, Ontario L7L 6B2 1-289-313-6400
woman hugging a small brown dog
community impact

Creating families through our…

Helping 400,000+ pets find homes through in-store adoptions at PetSmart since 1999
read morearrow-right-primary
Nicole and Rosie
journey home

Meet Rosie, our 400,000th…

“When I saw her, I just knew that was my cat. It was meant to be.”
read morearrow-right-primary
a man looks down at a white puppy looking adoringly back at him
community impact

Love Heals: An Access to Vet…

With your support, we’re helping pets stay together with their families by making veterinary care more accessible and…
read morearrow-right-primary
woman hugging a small brown dog
community impact

Keeping Families Together

Taking better care of pets builds healthier communities.
read morearrow-right-primary
Scout the dog
journey home

Unconditional Love Helped…

Scout was found on the side of the road paralyzed from the waist down. She was rushed to receive medical care, but the staff…
read morearrow-right-primary