Graduate fellowship helps send EOU senior on her way to veterinary school

Elisha Adkins receives national recognition from Phi Kappa Phi for outstanding academic achievement and community outreach

Laura Hancock | Marketing, Development and Public Affairs | (541) 962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu
Source: Nancy Knowles | Department of English/Writing | (541) 962-3795 | nknowles@eou.edu

1 May 2008

LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) - Elisha Adkins' dream of becoming a veterinarian is finally coming true. As the senior at Eastern Oregon University prepares to graduate in June, she is also getting ready to begin the next chapter of her education.

Adkins, originally from Hermiston, has been accepted into the doctoral program for veterinary medicine at Oregon State University. She will specialize in bovine medicine and plans to devote her expertise to building an international organization that will create a sustainable economic resource for poor communities by improving livestock production.

Adkins received a $5,000 Graduate Fellowship Award from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the money will go toward her tuition at OSU.

"Attending veterinary school has been my primary goal for the past 10 years, and to finally have the opportunity and the means to do so is overwhelming," Adkins said. "I am very proud to have been selected by Phi Kappa Phi and look forward to representing such a prestigious organization in the coming years."

Adkins was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, which invites only the top 10 percent of college seniors for such recognition. EOU's chapter of Phi Kappa Phi nominated Adkins for the award and she is one of 60 fellowship recipients out of a national pool of 168. Members of EOU's chapter have earned awards annually for the past four years.

The national recognition is based on Adkins' outstanding academic achievement and her participation in numerous community outreach programs.

She is involved with wildlife preservation projects in the Grande Ronde Valley and internationally and her community work includes serving as a veterinary intern in Hermiston, as a spokesperson and translator for Vange-John Memorial Hospice, and as a fundraiser and team leader for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life program.

Adkins' contributions to the EOU campus are also visible. She has worked as a resident assistant in the residence halls, as an ambassador involved in student orientation and as a student government senator.

Ron Kelley, associate professor of chemistry, worked closely with Adkins during her time at Eastern. When Kelley first met Adkins, she was still a student at Hermiston High School.

"Even as a high school senior, it was very clear that Elisha was focused on veterinary medicine as her professional career goal in life," Kelley said.

In his eight years teaching at EOU, Kelley has worked with many students studying pre-veterinary medicine and has seen almost all go on to complete vet school. Adkins however is the only EOU student Kelley is aware of to be accepted to OSU's program without an interview.

"OSU's veterinary school has very high expectations and only a small percentage of students are admitted without being interviewed," Kelley said.

"It's extremely satisfying to see someone you've worked with go on to succeed. Elisha has all the talent in the world and a drive that won't quit. She wants to be the best at what she does and she's being rewarded for it."

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