Johnson receives Westminster scholarship
Shayla Arlean Johnson, a 2010 graduate of Henderson State University, has received a Westminster Kennel Foundation scholarship. She is currently studying veterinary medicine at the Tuskegee University in Alabama.
While attending Henderson, Johnson worked at three different veterinary clinics in Arkansas. She had always had a love for animals and knew that she would become a veterinarian.
In June 2014, she traveled to Nicaragua for one week with World Vets to spay and neuter stray cats and dogs in the rural region of Grenada. She also assisted in a summer research project while taking an online course on animal welfare and canine rehabilitation.
As a third year veterinarian student, Johnson has been involved in numerous on-campus organizations, such as American Association of Equine Practitioners, Veterinary Business Management Association, Student Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, while holding executive positions.
Johnson is also deeply involved in the local humane society of Macon County, organizing adoption fairs and fostering rescued strays. She is interested in being a mixed practitioner, focusing on companion medicine and incorporating equine medicine into her practice.
Johnson is one of six veterinary students selected by their school to receive the Westminster scholarship. She received the award in February at the Westminster Dog Show in New York City.
The Foundation has awarded $1.34 million in 139 veterinary school scholarships, now valued at $15,000, to students since 1990. The Foundation was established in 1971 as a charitable trust organized for the benefit of humane education, humane work, and history, art and memorabilia.