Los Alamos senior Serenity Perez earns NMSU scholarship, plans vet school

Los Alamos High School senior Serenity Perez has earned a Crimson Success Scholarship from New Mexico State University and plans to head to Las Cruces this fall to study animal science before applying to veterinary school.

Perez, described as a lifelong animal lover, will enter NMSU with academic support already in place. The university’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services says institutional scholarships are awarded using academic information submitted with the admissions application, and the Crimson Success Scholarship is one of those awards for New Mexico resident first-year students. NMSU says those scholarships are generally tied to the fall and spring semesters and can be renewable if eligibility is maintained.

Her choice of major fits a career path NMSU says is common for pre-veterinary students. The university’s Bachelor of Science in Animal Science combines scientific theory with practical experience, and the Department of Animal and Range Sciences says its on-campus animal facilities house beef cattle, horses, swine, goats and sheep. NMSU also says the Animal Science (Science) concentration gives students a strong background for graduate or professional study.

That matters well beyond one student’s college plans. NMSU says veterinarians care for pets, livestock and working animals, help protect the food supply and work to control the spread of disease. In New Mexico, where ranching, rural households and pet ownership all intersect with limited specialty care, that training has practical value for families far beyond the classroom.

Perez’s route is also shaped by the fact that New Mexico does not have a veterinary medical school. Students who want the D.V.M. must build the right undergraduate preparation and then apply elsewhere, often through the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Professional Student Exchange Program. NMSU says many students pursue veterinary school through WICHE, and one university publication says the PSEP has graduated 631 New Mexico residents as veterinarians to date.

NMSU’s Department of Animal and Range Sciences says it offers pre-veterinary studies and that its graduates have a high acceptance rate into veterinary medicine programs. The university’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences describes itself as an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico through academic, research and Extension programs, a reminder that Perez is entering a field tied closely to the state’s farms, towns and public health needs.

For Los Alamos, Perez’s path adds another example of a local graduate moving into a specialized, service-oriented profession. Her plans connect a personal love of animals with a field that supports households, agriculture and rural communities across New Mexico.