Empowering Future Vets, Saving Animal Lives

Best Friends Animal Society is excited to offer the Megan Salzman Medica and John Kevin Medica Veterinary Scholarship as an innovative way to save more lives and support the veterinary industry through new talent. This scholarship offers up to $50,000 in tuition and $20,000 in living expenses for each year of veterinary school in exchange for a 66-month employment commitment at our state-of-the-art veterinary clinic at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

Students currently enrolled in veterinary school are eligible to apply for pro-rated funding for the remainder of their education.

Megan Salzman and John Medica first met when they attended graduate school at Wake Forest University. Each of them has been passionate about education throughout their lives. When John passed away suddenly in 2017, it was important to Megan to honor his legacy by providing a bright future to aspiring students aiming to change the world.

Even though John spent his career in the technology industry - working as an innovator first at Apple and later revolutionizing portable devices for Dell - animals were never far from his mind. In fact, when Michael Dell asked him what it would take to bring him to Dell from Apple, he replied, “I’d like to take my dog to work.”

That dog, an Old English Sheepdog named Maggie, was just one of many pets that inspired Megan and John to invest in animal well-being. Through The Megan Salzman Medica and John Kevin Medica Veterinary Scholarship, Megan and John's shared love of the animals will continue into the future.

It’s not every day that you receive a gift that can have such an impact on individual lives and an entire field, but Megan has done just that with this new scholarship that will both save lives here at the Sanctuary and also support more students entering the veterinary field, where we currently have a critical shortage. - Judah Battista, Chief Sanctuary Officer

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is home to around 1,600 animals at any given time, including dogs, cats, horses, goats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, parrots, and many more bird, mammal, and small reptile companion animal species in addition to our federally licensed wildlife rehabilitation clinic. Veterinarians work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment both within our state-of-the-art Clinic building as well as satellite clinics within each of our animal care departments to practice shelter medicine, high-volume-high-quality spay/neuter surgeries, and work on emergencies and complex cases. Read more about the Best Friends Animal Clinic here.

Application Process

Applications for the Megan Salzman Medica and John Kevin Medica Veterinary Scholarship are accepted in January and February of each year, with applications closing on March 1st and decisions sent by early April.

Applicant Requirements

1. Acceptance or enrollment into a veterinary school that will allow the graduate to practice veterinary medicine in the United States.
2. A one-to-two-page letter or five-to-seven-minute video recording detailing their interest in pursuing a professional career in shelter medicine and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter practice at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah as well as their commitment to the no-kill animal sheltering movement.  
3. Two letters of recommendation from working professionals in the animal services field who have knowledge of the applicant’s experience or commitment in animal sheltering and their compassion for both animals and humans.
4. A resume or CV detailing recent relevant experience including education, work experience, extracurricular activities, and volunteer positions.  

Applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible in demonstrating their commitment to shelter medicine, Best Friends Animal Society, and the no-kill sheltering movement. Please email supporting materials and/or questions to vetscholarship@bestfriends.org  

Finalists will be invited to a video interview over Zoom in mid-March of the application year.  

Best Friends strongly suggests that applicants research all available financial aid options before deciding to apply as scholarships may impact eligibility for other scholarships, grants, or loans.

Click here for application

2025 Timeframe and Deadlines

November 1, 2024 – 9 am MT: Scholarship opens for submissions.

February 21, 2025– 5 pm MT: Scholarship closes for submissions and letters of recommendation are due.  

March 3, 2025: First round of finalists notified; video interviews scheduled.  

March 10 — March 21, 2025: Upon showing acceptance into eligible schools, finalists undergo video interviews.

March 24 – April 1, 2025: Winners are notified.

April 11, 2025: Deadline for recipients to accept scholarship.

July/August 2025: Best Friends Animal Society makes initial semester tuition payment to veterinary schools for recipients and disperses $10,000 living expenses stipend. 

Click here for application

Rules

• The scholarship will award up to $50,000 in tuition and $20,000 in living expenses per student per year for the duration of awardee’s attendance at veterinary school, up to four years.
• Tuition will be paid directly to the student’s university.  
• Scholarship is restricted to veterinary students who are committed to working as a veterinarian at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for 66 months following completion of veterinary school. 
• This scholarship only funds veterinary students who attend a veterinary school in the United States with estimated total tuition and fees at time of award not exceeding $280,000 for the duration of the program.
• AI tools are not allowed to be used for application questions and personal statement.
• Each applicant must have a letter of recommendation submitted by February 21, 2025 at 5pm MT in order to be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant is responsible for sending their recommender the Letter of Recommendation page link.  
• If an applicant is chosen as a finalist, a video interview is required along with proof of acceptance into a qualifying veterinary school based on the scholarship rules.  
• Scholarship recipients are required to participate in a follow-up process to help promote and evaluate the impact of the scholarship. This includes, but is not limited to, providing Best Friends Animal Society with feedback on the scholarship application and funding process along with supporting outreach efforts for future potential awardees.  
• Scholarship recipients are required to show continued proof of enrollment in veterinary school. 

Click here for application