The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.
The National Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) Scholarship Committee selected Serena Schotanus, a Kansas State University (KSU) College of Veterinary Medicine student, as the 2025 National DHIA Veterinary Student Scholarship recipient. She will receive a $1,500 scholarship. Selection committee members evaluated applicants on overall interest as a veterinarian planning to work in dairy, involvement in dairy medicine and extra-curricular activities, and interest in using dairy software and dairy records to aid in dairy management and improving animal health. To be eligible for a National DHIA Veterinary Student Scholarship, applicants must be third- or fourth-year veterinary medicine students and enrolled at a college that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education.
A California native and raised by a third-generation dairyman, Schotanus studied animal sciences and industry, with the pre-veterinary medicine option, at KSU before embarking on her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. To gain cattle experience, she interned with High Plains Ponderosa Dairy, Plains, Kan., and Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy, Casco, Wis. For the past two summers, she interned with Valley Veterinarians, Inc., Tulare, Calif., where she designed and executed a calf vaccine trial and evaluated and presented results to associate and partner veterinarians, and participated in herd health checks and reproductive exams. For more than five years, Schotanus has managed marketing and social media for Old Stage Angus, LLC, Tipton, Calif.
No stranger to DHI milk testing and records, Schotanus said, “DHI technologies enhance both dairy herd productivity and profitability. Once I graduate, I want to champion DHI technologies. By leveraging milk data, I’ll help dairymen take informed next steps, so together we can lead the dairy industry forward.”
Money generated from the annual National DHIA Scholarship Auction primarily funds the organization’s scholarship program. Investments and donations also help build the fund. To donate to the National DHIA Scholarship Fund, contact Leslie Thoman at 608-848-6455 ext. 108 or lthoman@dhia.org.
National DHIA, a trade association for the dairy records industry, serves the best interests of its members and the dairy industry by maintaining the integrity of dairy records and advancing dairy information systems.
