2022-23 President's Scholars

Vivian Huynh

Jasen Strand President’s Scholar

Major: Animal Science Pre-Veterinarian

Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture

University Programs: Student Success Leader for the Office of Strategic Communications; McNair Scholar; Achieve Scholar and Achieve Scholar peer mentor 

The McNair Scholars Program helped Vivian Huynh transfer her passion for animal care into a focus on the effects of medications on animal behavior and health. Her experience led to a research education undergraduate internship at Indiana University in summer 2021 to measure signals from a genus of electric fish named Sternachorynchus and to present her data findings at the University’s Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior Conference. Remote instruction challenged Vivian with the loss of her campus job and housing, but applying a researcher’s mindset of patience and perseverance, she discovered how to successfully balance her studies, spend quality time with her family and focus on her wellbeing through kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Vivian is excited to be the first in her family to graduate and plans to earn a dual doctorate degree in veterinary medicine and research. Receiving the President’s Scholars Scholarship “removes the barriers that limit me from maximizing my full potential,” and she wants to encourage other students to seek out the many campus resources that will help them reach theirs.