Yochym biology scholarship benefits future veterinarians
Megan MacIntyre performs an ophthalmic exam using an ophthalmoscope on Lyric, her golden retriever, at Lakeside Veterinary Medicine, where she serves as an assistant.
The dream that the father of Barbara and Cynthia Yochym to become a veterinarian lives on through SUNY Fredonia alumni such as Megan MacIntyre, a 2019 graduate and recipient of two Michael Yochym Biology Scholarships attending The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
In fact, their donor/recipient relationship continues to flourish long after meeting at a Scholars Breakfast and Ms. MacIntyre receiving a B.S. in Biochemistry degree.
“Upon receiving the scholarship, I wrote them a detailed thank you note with photographs of all the things I did prior to and during undergrad so they could get to know me better,” MacIntyre recalled. “At the scholarship banquet [Scholars Breakfast] we had a great conversation and I have since tried to keep in touch with them so they know how their monies helped and what their generosity is allowing students to do.”
The $500 Yochym scholarship, established through the Fredonia College Foundation and awarded to a junior majoring in Biochemistry or Biology, is intended for students who plan to study veterinary science. As an Ohio resident paying out-of-state tuition, MacIntyre indicated that scholarships helped her to better manage living costs and tuition charges, and reduce her student loans.
Cynthia, a reference librarian in Reed Library, and Barbara, a retired secretary in the Educational Development Program, created the scholarship in honor of their father, who grew up on a farm and worked with animals.
“As children, we heard that, had he had the opportunity to go to college, he would have wanted to become a veterinarian. We felt that this would be a way to provide a legacy for him and to help SUNY Fredonia students achieve a dream that he had,” Cynthia Yochym said.
MacIntyre was clearly destined to become a veterinarian. She grew up on a small hobby farm in Northeast Ohio that had dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits, a ferret and small household birds, and actively showed the dogs in 4-H events and the sheep in breed and wool shows.
“I always took a strong interest in the day-to-day care of the animals, but I had an even greater interest in their medical needs,” MacIntyre recalled. “We oftentimes had to have the vet out to our farm for medical needs ranging from routine medical care, sport injuries, lambing assistance, etc. I found the challenge of diagnosing what was wrong and attempting a treatment plan to be very interesting and decided I wanted to assist animals in the same way the veterinarians who helped my pets did.”
As an undergrad, MacIntyre learned about shelter medicine and trained rescue animals to become more adoptable at the Northern Chautauqua Canine Rescue, gained hands-on experience at Arkwright Veterinary Services and insight into working in a veterinary team and practiced skills she’ll need as a veterinarian at Westfield Veterinary Hospital.
She also cared for horses and trained them for show or sale and breed at UVM Morgan Horse Farm in Vermont, and worked as a paid summer employee at veterinary practices.
MacIntyre is a longtime member of 4-H, working on numerous projects, serving as an advisor for the dog program and becoming a judge at 4-H shows.
“We are proud of all the students who have been awarded the Michael Yochym Biology Scholarship,” Yochym said. “Megan personifies all we could have hoped for in creating the scholarship – her hard work, dedication, methodical pursuit of her veterinary degree. She has vast experience with animals from a young age.”
Drs. Matthew Fountain and Mark Janik of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry had a positive impact on MacIntyre. They welcomed her into their labs to perform research, answered questions about coursework, gave excellent advice about veterinary school and, MacIntyre added, “provided a professional camaraderie I never expected to have with a professor.”
MacIntyre plans to practice in Chautauqua County after completing her degree in 2023.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Megan, and we know our father wouldn’t have been more proud either,” Yochym said.
