The Recipients of the First Five Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Kathleen Lennon Scholarships

By Maria McKeon:

As we remember with gut-punching shock and horror the news of the death of our incredibly vivacious and spirited Dr. Kathleen Lennon, we would like to announce the recipients of the first five Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Kathleen Lennon Scholarships that all of your generosity contributed to in the wake of Kathleen’s loss.

Due to your incredible gifts, there will be annual scholarships to equine vet students forever. These hard working and brilliant equine vets are about to graduate and enter the world of service to you and your beloved horses.

Undoubtedly, you will find them to be following in the footsteps of Kathleen as enthusiastic, caring, humble, and creative as they jump into the always full of surprises equine industry. One vet told me jokingly that horses spend eleven months coming into the world and the rest of their lives trying to get out of it!

Kathleen’s love for horses and her passion for veterinary medicine were evident to all who knew her. She possessed an unwavering commitment to the well-being of these magnificent creatures, and her legacy continues to inspire us every day.

Through your kindness and generosity, her memory lives on, and aspiring equine veterinarians are given the opportunity to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the lives of animals, just as Kathleen did.

Your contributions have not only honored Kathleen’s memory but have also made a tangible impact on the future of equine veterinary medicine. By investing in the education and training of aspiring professionals, you are ensuring that Kathleen’s legacy of compassion, dedication, and excellence continues to shine brightly.

As we weep from the depths of our souls for our most precious Kathleen, we thank you for caring so much for her and honoring her in such a meaningful way.

Please welcome these new equine vets into your world of horses and guide them through those first days of nervousness. We announce the following recipients of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Kathleen Lennon Memorial Scholarship and post their notes of appreciation to you.

 

Hanna M. Darrow

“Thank you for your generosity! My name is Hanna, and I am currently a fourth-year vet student. I chose Purdue for vet school because my father is a Purdue Alumni and as a result, I grew up a Purdue fan. I chose veterinary medicine because I grew up with standardbred racehorses and have always admired the veterinarians who work with them, keeping them healthy and able to race. This scholarship will help me complete veterinary school, which is incredibly expensive as an out of state student. I have a total of 8 years of college tuition and this coming May, I will graduate and will officially be a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine! At Purdue, I am tracking Equine Medicine and hope to work with racehorses once out of school. Your gift will help me achieve this, thank you!”

 

Aili K. Arnell

“Thank you so much for this great surprise, honor, and recognition. This scholarship will aid Aili in future endeavors such as externships in her upcoming 4th year of veterinary school.

Aili Arnell is a life-long horsewoman who started riding when she could walk. Aili graduated from Carmel High School (Carmel, IN) in 2010, and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY) in 2014. She has worked nearly every job in the industry and has always prioritized the welfare of the horse. Aili started mucking stalls to pay for horseback riding lessons in high school, taught beginner riding lessons in college, groomed on the A/AA hunter/jumper circuit, worked as an equine veterinary assistant at WEF, was a working student for an FEI dressage rider, and managed a 45-horse stable of an Olympic show jumper.

These vast experiences taught her how to empathize on all levels. Everything she has done has been for the love of the horse and the pursuit of being an equine veterinarian. Aili is a DVM student at Purdue University and will graduate in May 2025. The highlight of her veterinary curriculum has been Equine Theriogenology lab where she had the amazing opportunity to perform multiple transrectal palpations weekly in Fall 2023.

The teaching mares at Purdue taught Aili how to safely perform transrectal palpations, and she demonstrated her impeccable stall-side manner. After graduation, she plans to stay in the Central Indiana area upon completing externships at Rood & Riddle (KY), Hagyard Equine (NY), Fairfield Equine (CT), and Grand Prix Equine (NY).

She will also be spending three weeks at the American Fondouk in Fez, Morocco, providing non-profit veterinary care to working equids Spring 2025. This is an exciting experience, with a unique caseload, and she hopes to utilize what she learns there back home.

When Aili is not working hard at school, she is at the barn with her mare Orla and dog Olivia on the weekends. Aili and Orla have been partners for almost seven years. They currently compete in the Amateur Jumper 1.0 M, but they have big dreams. Thank you for supporting the big dreams of this future equine veterinarian.”

 

Avery N. Martin

“My name is Avery Martin, and I am a student at Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine. I wanted to say thank you for making my scholarship a possibility for me! Every little bit of help I can get to achieve my dreams is always appreciated. This scholarship means that I can follow my dreams and I can worry a little less about trying to make as much money as I can to pay back my loans. This scholarship allows me some freedom.

A little bit about me: I am one of five children in my family, and I will be the only doctor in the Martin family. I am originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but my family moved up to Chicago, Illinois when I was 13. I decided after high school that I was going to be an equine doctor, so I went to the University of Kentucky to live in horse country. I chose Purdue because it was close to my family and because I was lucky enough to get in early admission.

Once coming to Purdue, I committed to becoming a horse veterinarian, and I think I will go back for more education to become an equine surgeon. Of course, my plans after school are geared towards horses, so to help me become the best doctor, I plan to go to Bryan, Texas to work in an equine only practice after I graduate. Thank you again, this scholarship helps me get one step closer to becoming a great doctor.”

 

Emily A. Prugh

“Thank you very much for supporting my veterinary education. I feel very fortunate to study at Purdue and have truly enjoyed getting to know the school. I am from Elkhart, Indiana and obtained my Bachelor’s in Agriculture: Animal Science and Industry from Kansas State University.

Having grown up with horses, I am very passionate about equine health, welfare, and performance. This past Summer I was able to complete an externship with Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital and judged small horse shows on the weekends. While I am most interested in equine sports medicine and lameness, I am currently pursuing a career as a companion animal veterinarian. This way, I may serve the small animals and horses in my community while maintaining my interests.

I am currently involved with several organizations at Purdue. As the President-Elect of Purdue’s Student Chapter of Equine Practitioners, I am responsible for coordinating meetings, guest lecturers, and educational labs. I am also very excited to be a Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association student representative. This year, I also joined Purdue’s Cat and Internal Medicine clubs to explore more corners of veterinary medicine.

Thank you again for your generosity. Your donation has made a significant impact in lessening my financial stress, therefore allowing me to focus more completely on my education and future.”

 

Ashlee E. Bourquin

“I want to take the time to show how appreciative I am to be receiving the Dr. Kathleen Lennon Memorial Scholarship. I cannot thank you enough for this award. It means the world to me, and it will be put to good use.

Since we have not had the chance to meet, I wanted to take some time to tell you a little bit about myself. I am from Clayton, NY which is a small town upstate on the Canadian border. I grew up with animals my whole life, so I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career that was focused on them, out of all the animals we raised, horses were my favorite.

The first time I ever rode a horse I instantly fell in love. After riding for a bit, I got a house of my own and we barrel raced and competed in rodeo events until I came to Vet school. With the rigor of being a performance horse, there were always injuries that I had to rehab. Getting to work with the vet so closely through these injuries allowed me to see exactly what it would mean to be a vet.

While at Purdue, I have tried to stay involved in different activities both on and off campus. On campus I am involved in a lot of different clubs, the emergency critical care club, theriogenology club, sports medicine club and the equine club to name a few. Off campus I stayed involved by playing in a women’s recreational soccer league, horseback riding, and going to church. Since starting vet school, I have done multiple externships in all aspects of equine medicine all over the country.

After graduation, I will be moving to Michigan to start a job at an all-equine facility. My passions are equine sports medicine and reproduction which are two major focuses at this clinic. In practice, I hope to inspire others to pursue careers in veterinary medicine and increase the value that we bring to both clients and patients. Getting this scholarship will be extremely beneficial since I am an out of state student, so my loan debt is quite extensive. Thank you again for this opportunity.”