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Contest Gives Rising Sixth to Eighth Graders Chance to Win Coveted Spot at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Junior Vet Camp June 18 - 23, 2023
Vet Set Go, the first and only community dedicated to helping aspiring veterinarians, with support from VCA Animal Hospitals, expands scholarship contest with more winners and two months of application time in 2023
Online essay contest opens Tuesday, February 1; Entries due by Thursday, March 31
St. Augustine, Fla. (January 5, 2023) — To help aspiring young veterinarians start now to pursue their dream, Vet Set Go and VCA Animal Hospitals are inviting rising sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students to enter the seventh annual Vet Set Go “Become a Veterinarian Camp Contest 2023.” Winners of the online essay contest will receive a scholarship to attend the Auburn University Junior Vet Camp from June 18 - 23, 2023, at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, one of the nation’s premier veterinarian schools.
Vet Set Go and VCA are expanding the 2023 essay contest to be the biggest yet: The contest will award 45 students from across the U.S. – an entire class – a scholarship prize package to attend Vet Camp.
“Vet Set Go is proud to offer young aspiring veterinarians an even greater opportunity this year to access the in-person, hands-on veterinary experience they are craving,” said Chris Carpenter, DVM, founder and president of Vet Set Go. “We know what it’s like to have a future veterinarian in your home and are honored to provide this once-in-a-lifetime scholarship opportunity for 45 teens and tweens to explore their dream.”
The prize package is valued at $1,200 and includes tuition, materials, and room and board at the world-renowned Auburn Junior Veterinary Camp in Auburn, Alabama. Transportation to the camp is the responsibility of the winners. The contest opens on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 8 a.m. EST, and runs for two months, with online essay submission available at Vet Set Go. The contest ends on Friday, March 31, 2023, with all essays due by 11:59 p.m. EST. Winners will be notified of their free Junior Vet Camp experience by May 15, 2023.
“Those of us in veterinary medicine experience the joy that comes with getting to know pet owners and pets over a lifetime. Vet Set Go plays a critical role in connecting young people to these fulfilling careers,” said Todd Lavender, DVM, president of VCA Animal Hospitals. “I’m proud of our growing partnership with Vet Set Go and excited that we’re able to send a whole class of students to Junior Vet Camp in 2023. This work is one way we’re helping the next generation of professionals grab hold of their dreams and supporting our commitment to taking care of the future of veterinary medicine.”
Vet Set Go has been connecting and mentoring aspiring veterinarians since 2006 and launched the camp scholarship contest in 2017. Since then, Vet Set Go has given away more than 25,000 copies of its award-winning, roadmap-to-becoming-a-veterinarian book to students, and connected hundreds of thousands of teens and tweens to vet-related resources, activities and volunteer oppVet Set Go founder Dr. Christopher Carpenter, with VCA president Dr. Todd Lavender and director of EI&D Timbrala Marshall meet with Junior Vet Camp students.ortunities.
The Vet Set Go “Become a Veterinarian Camp Contest” is open to students entering sixth through eighth grade in fall 2023. With the help of a parent or guardian, students enter the contest using the official entry form available Wednesday, February 1, at Vet Set Go. Student entrants are asked to complete a short online essay (300 words or less) that addresses at least one of these topics:
• Why they want to be a veterinarian
• Why they love animals
• What they have done to get animal experience or learn more about science
“I was 11 years old when I decided to become a veterinarian. I still remember how badly I wanted to get out and work with animals and veterinarians, but that experience was so hard to find at that age,” adds Dr. Carpenter. “That’s why I started Vet Set Go 16 years ago. We understand future veterinarians like no other organization and are committed to helping them find opportunities to explore their dream. The ‘Become a Veterinarian Camp Contest’ is a great example of the many ways we help future veterinarians. We understand them like no one else.”
During the camp, contest winners will learn about veterinary medicine first-hand in Auburn University classrooms, laboratories, and outdoor facilities. Curriculum includes learning about surgery, food animals, wildlife, anatomy, parasitology, and first aid, as well as gaining valuable mentoring about veterinary science careers.
To learn more about the “Become a Veterinarian Camp Contest 2023” or to enter between February 1 and March 31, 2023, visit www.vetsetgo.com.
Vet Set Go founder Dr. Christopher Carpenter, with VCA president Dr. Todd Lavender and director of EI&D Timbrala Marshall meet with Junior Vet Camp students.
About Vet Set Go
Vet Set Go is the first and only web community dedicated to helping teen and tween aspiring veterinarians explore their passion. Founded by Dr. Christopher Carpenter in 2006, Vet Set Go encourages future veterinarians to pursue their dream and shows them how they can start today through such resources as its award-winning Vet Set Go book and the online Vet Academy shadowing courses. Vet Set Go’s Vet Volunteer app is the best way for students to find local volunteer opportunities while tracking their volunteer hours for veterinary college applications. Vet Set Go also introduces STEM subjects to aspiring veterinarians through online courses like “Introduction to Animal Anatomy” and free case study articles on the website. Proceeds from Vet Set Go sales help aspiring veterinarians through events like the “Become a Vet Camp Contest” and Vet Set Go book giveaways to students in need. For more information, visit www.vetsetgo.com.
About Auburn Junior Veterinary Camp
The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine offers the Auburn Junior Veterinary Camp on its campus in Auburn, Alabama each summer for youth entering the sixth- through eighth-grade who are interested in the veterinary medicine profession. Faculty, technicians and second-year veterinary students provide unique veterinary coursework and experiences for campers in laboratories, classrooms and outdoor facilities in one of the nation’s premiere veterinary schools. Over the course of its 125-year plus history, the Auburn University has produced more than 6,400 veterinarians and more than 500 specialists and researchers.