BlackDVM Network has the most amazing members. Veterinary Nurses, Office Managers, vet students, and veterinarians. What was it like the day you received your acceptance to vet school? Khangelani Mhlanga is unique as far as our members go but for a reason, that is not a great one. She was accepted into three veterinary schools but had to decline due to funding.
Khangelani is originally from Zimbabwe and is currently an ER Veterinary Assistant at VEG in Newton, Massachusetts. She completed her Bachelor's degree in 2022 from Ithaca College. Khangelani has shown a real passion for comparative medicine, One Health research, and finding sustainable solutions to mitigating human-wildlife conflict in communities that live in protected or underdeveloped areas. She has served as a Licensed Wildlife rehabilitator.
She received offer letters from: Cornell, Ohio State, and the Royal Veterinary College in London. Not many applicants receive admission to one, let alone three programs. What an amazing achievement! Unfortunately, Khangelani is not a permanent resident of the United States. In order to enroll in a US veterinary program she must show she holds funds, in cash, for the first year of school. OSU is approximately $101,000 and Cornell is approximately $88,000. Most of us can agree that is not an amount we have handy or can work a part-time job to achieve in short order.
Khangelani’s story is the reason we at BlackDVM Network want to support veterinary students in need. Our 2024 calendar is an opportunity for the greater veterinary community to put a calendar into every exam room, classroom, and lab to raise funds for veterinary scholarships.
In 2021 we were able to raise over $5000 for veterinary student scholarships. We hope to double that number this year and you can help us. The 2024 BlackDVM Network Calendar is on sale now. Every calendar sold helps us reach the goal of allowing prospective veterinary and nursing students to see what is possible for them and we raise money for needed scholarships.
Use the link to share with your colleagues, classmates, administrations, and managers so we can fill the clinics with examples of Black Excellence each month of the year.
UPDATE!
We have wonderful news that we are thrilled to share. It is now the Spring of 2024, and Khangelani has been accepted into the veterinary medicine program at Tufts University. She has accepted the offer and was provided a strong financial aid package; however, she still needed to secure $50,000 in funding on her own to cover the remaining tuition cost. With the help of BlackDVM Network, a GoFundMe campaign was launched for Khangelani to help her reach her fundraising goal. Through the generosity and kindness of all of those who contributed, Khangelani was able to reach 20% of her fundraising goal in under a month's time. As daunting as the task may have been at first, Khangelani is well on her to way to securing the funding required for her enrollment in the vet med program at Tufts University.
Khangelani--we are so proud of you and excited to watch you embark of this journey. Thank you to all of the supporters who continue to donate and organizations that are helping to turn Khangelani's dream a reality.
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