The first six North Carolina undergraduates chosen to participate in the NC State Equine Scholars Program have successfully passed into the potential pipeline of needed equine veterinarians, arriving at the NC State Class of Veterinary Medicine as members of the Class of 2030.

The second cohort of six scholars and two alternates, all college seniors or a recent graduate, spent 10 weeks this summer shadowing equine veterinarians in North Carolina and beyond and are anticipated to become members of the CVM class of 2031. 

The Equine Scholars Program, created in 2024 in partnership with equine advocates and other universities, guarantees seats to equine-interested students, meeting admissions criteria, who are chosen through a competitive committee selection process. 

Nationwide, fewer than 4% of veterinary students choose equine medicine. With the equine industry having a $3.4 billion impact on North Carolina’s economy, according to the NC Horse Council, NC State is working to increase the numbers.

“We are really hopeful that the Equine Scholars Program will help to address the need for equine primary care veterinarians in North Carolina,” says Dr. Katie Sheats, associate dean and director of Professional Education and Admissions. “While there are lots of equine-interested undergraduates who apply to veterinary school, before the Scholars Program, the number of interested students who were accepted varied from year to year. With this program, we’re trying to ensure that some students in every DVM class have guaranteed interest in equine veterinary medicine.”

Scholars Nasya Burgess, a graduate of NC A&T State University in Greensboro; Ana Church, a graduate of the now closed St. Andrews University in Laurinburg; and Lexa McDermott, Austen Stinson-Miller, Kathryn Healy and Gracie Towles, all NC State graduates, are now first-year veterinary students at NC State.

Modeled after the college’s established Food Animal Scholars initiative, the Equine Scholars Program partners with NC State, NC A&T State University in Greensboro and the University of Mount Olive in Wayne County to pair accepted undergraduate students with mentors at their schools, at the CVM and in private practice.

Here are our latest scholars and where they interned this summer:

• Kendall Merritt, an NC State undergraduate, Performance Equine Veterinary Services, based in New Hill, North Carolina.
• Alexis Tobin, a University of Mount Olive undergraduate, Heart Horse Mobile Veterinary Services, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Hailey Keller, a University of Mount Olive undergraduate, Foundation Equine Clinic, based in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
• Savanna Harrison, a graduate of the now-closed St. Andrews University, Foundation. 
• Hilary Burns, an NC State undergraduate, Peterson Smith Equine Hospital – Advanced Fertility Center in Marion County, Florida.
• Sara Peters, an NC State undergraduate, Peterson Smith Equine Hospital.

Kylie Young, an NC State undergraduate, and Michaela Dietrich, a University of Mount Olive undergraduate, are the alternates. Young interned this summer at Neuse River Equine Hospital, based in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Dietrich interned at Peterson Smith Equine Hospital – Advanced Fertility Center. 

“Alternates can still get in through the normal application route, and it is our hope that their summer internship will make them highly competitive, adding even more equine-interested students to each class, “ Sheats says. 

Peters, who is from Raleigh, North Carolina, was completing her second internship at Peterson in Florida.

“I learned more about myself and my aspirations in the veterinary field in the past two summers than ever before,” she says. “Through my summer experience, I had the opportunity to work hands-on in major thoroughbred operations, which continued to spark my passion for equine sports medicine and orthopedics. And the consistent emergencies broadened my horizon to unique cases and the protocol for how to handle difficult situations.” 

Hilary Burns, a Glens Falls, New York, native who also interned at Peterson in Florida, says she is thankful she was able to expand her knowledge of equine reproduction and to experience the dedication and teamwork required to provide top-quality care.

“Every member of the team, both veterinarians and other staff, took time to teach and showed a genuine interest in taking time for us to learn,” she says. “I had opportunities to help with embryo flushes and transfers, breeding mares, observing follicle aspirations and so much more. This experience not only strengthened my passion for equine medicine but also gave me a better understanding of what I hope to bring to the profession in the future.”

These new Equine Scholars will join the current group of Food Animal Scholars to share presentations of their summer experiences at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine on Sept. 30.

“We have a wonderful new group of students who got placed with some amazing summer experiences, both in-state and out-of-state,” Sheats says. “I’m really looking forward to their individual presentations about their summers.”

The scholars are chosen after a competitive application process and were required to have demonstrated previous interest in veterinary medicine and the equine industry. The application period for 2027 opens Nov. 1. Find more information here. 

The College of Veterinary Medicine has a third initiative, the Randall B. Terry Jr. Rural Veterinary Scholars Program, designed to help serve the needs of North Carolina. This summer, the program supported seven College of Veterinary Medicine DVM students as they immersed themselves as interns at eight rural veterinary practices.

Read about their experiences here.