Campus Hig Our college community continues to thrive with achievements worth celebrating. From students earning prestigious scholarships and presenting research at national conferences, to faculty members receiving well-deserved promotions and recognition for their scholarly work, there’s much to share. Natasha George-Pérez, Class of 2027 Natasha George-Pérez (Nat) has volunteered with the Arizona Humane Society at the San Carlos Reservation and Pima Animal Care Center, providing free vaccinations, microchips, and preventive care to underserved communities. She received the Diversity Grant from the Diversity of Veterinary Medicine Coalition to attend Western Veterinary Conference, where she shared insights about her Hispanic heritage and developed programming for UACVM students. As President of Southern Arizona Veterinary Medical Association and Shelter Medicine Club, Nat coordinated a humane euthanasia training session with The Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy for second-year students and recently completed Canine Officer First Aid Training in Tennessee. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree online with Dr. Englar as her mentor. CVM Student Notes Jordyn Purpura, Class of 2027 Jordyn Purpura was recently awarded the International Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society Change Agent Scholarship to attend the IVECCS conference in San Diego and was elected president of the Student Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society. Jordyn taught neonate care training for Southern Arizona Cat Rescue foster parents, reaching approximately 60 attendees both in-person at Hunter’s Kitten Lounge in downtown Tucson and online. The training provided hands-on bottle feeding guidance to help increase foster capacity for kittens under four weeks old, bridging the gap between pediatric veterinary medicine and community foster care. Jordyn also created a recorded version of the training for the campus Shelter Medicine Club.
Melanie Santiago, Class of 2027 Melanie Santiago was the recipient of the Boston Alumni Club CatsGiveBack Scholarship in May and serves in several leadership and ambassadorship roles at UACVM. She is a Student Ambassador for the college, treasurer for the Internal Medicine club, a representative for AVMA Trust DVMs, and an Ambassador for Modern Animal. Additionally, Melanie is involved in canine cognition research, contributing to the advancement of behavioral science.
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