USDA Multicultural Scholars Program (USDA-MSP)

In 2010, USDA NIFA awarded PVM funds to establish a Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP). These funds provided partial scholarships to four DVM students. Students also received funds to participate in a Special Experiential Learning Experience (SEL).

The MSP Scholars also participate in specific programmatic pieces designed to enhance their student experience and provide support through graduation.

This is how students describe what being a USDA-MSP scholar has meant to them: 

"Being a USDA-MSP scholar has meant so much to my experience at Purdue. Not only was it a great way for me to immediately feel comfortable with other students in the program, it gave me the opportunity to find faculty that were willing to help me. This program has also encouraged me to get involved in other programs and lectures on campus that I may not have attended or even known about if I were not in the program.”

Allison (Allie) Joe

 "The USDA Scholar Program has helped me greatly with lowering the cost of attending veterinary school. It has also helped me develop great relationships with the faculty and staff in the veterinary school and become more professional and organized."

Jasmine Coe

 "As a new USDA Scholar, I look forward to improving my leadership skills on an all-inclusive basis while learning to communicate more effectively with people of different cultures. Effective communication is vital in a leadership role and, more importantly, in life itself, and I very much desire to incorporate what I learn as a USDA Scholar into my dream career as a veterinarian. I am not sure where this profession will take me just yet, but I foresee a lifetime of satisfaction with the path I have chosen. This great opportunity will allow me to experience, not only diversity within the profession and among the people involved, but also to expand my horizons as an African-American veterinary student and role model."

Dana Thomas

“The USDA MSP scholar has helped me learn about how diversity plays a role in everything we do, especially our career and interpersonal relations. It has helped me interact better with other members of the Purdue Veterinary Medicine and discuss problems we share, and be more prepared in studying for my future career.”

Julio Alonso Lecumberry