Mindi Bracy, a third-year student at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the David A. Schoneweis scholarship during the virtual American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting.
The children of the late Dr David Schoneweis established a scholarship in his memory to benefit swine-interested students from Kansas State University (KSU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU). The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student or students from KSU or OSU who participate in the student oral or poster presentations during the meeting, based upon a selection rubric prepared with the oversight and approval of the Schoneweis family.
Bracy presented her research, "Risk factors for umbilical hernias in commercial pigs," during the AASV Student Seminar. She was one of 15 students participating in the seminar competition.
Dr Schoneweis was born in Clay Center, Kansas and earned his doctor of veterinary medicine from Kansas State University in 1956. He served two years in the Army Veterinary Corps before teaching clinical sciences at Oklahoma State University for six years. After two years in private practice in Lawrence, Kansas, he joined the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 1966, where he received his master’s degree in surgery and medicine in 1971 and taught food animal medicine for 30 years. Dr Schoneweis was a charter member of the American Association of Swine Practitioners (AASP) and served on the association’s Board of Directors in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1997, he received the AASP Meritorious Service Award for his lifetime of support for the association and in recognition of his work with students as a professor of food animal medicine at KSU and OSU.
Thankful for the scholarship, Bracy said, "I am honored to receive the David A. Schoneweis Scholarship. It is encouraging and exciting to be a part of a career that supports veterinary students and invests in their futures. I cannot thank the family of Dr. Schoneweis enough for their generosity toward me and my passion for the swine industry."