WCVM alumnus creates new award for fourth-year veterinary students

Jelinski, who is a founding partner of Veterinary Agri-Health Services Ltd. near Crossfield, Alta., graduated from the veterinary college in 1986.

“I have a long connection to the WCVM as an alum as well as having a brother [Murray] who’s a faculty member there,” says Jelinski.

“We’ve had a very long and rewarding relationship with the WCVM through our vet practice, having been involved in numerous research projects over the years, and we’ve had many students come visit us from the WCVM.”

Jelinski acknowledges that the costs of veterinary education have climbed dramatically since he was a student in the college’s four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). Current tuition is about $15,500 per year at the WCVM.

When Jelinski envisioned his family’s award, he wanted to support a fourth-year student and give them some financial reprieve from the costs associated with their final year of training. The new award, currently valued at $7,500, covers half the cost of annual tuition for the recipient.  

“I always give the example that when I was in fourth year — 40 years this spring — our tuition was $1,400,” he says. “I appreciate the cost of the education and wanted to help contribute to that.”

The new award recognizes a fourth-year veterinary student who demonstrates the most improved academic performance in their third year over their first two years of veterinary school: “The award … captures what they did in the first three years, so it’s not just a snapshot in time,” says Jelinski.

“I wanted to reward a student who was really showing an ability to integrate what they learned in earlier years. I’ve always felt strongly that those first two years are foundational. The longer you practise the more things you see, but you still see things you don’t recognize and going back to foundational principles is really important.”

The award’s inaugural recipient is fourth-year student Lauren Roberts. Originally from Victoria, B.C., Roberts always loved biology and knew she wanted to pursue a scientific career. She completed her undergraduate education in biology at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.

“When I was thinking about what I wanted to do after [my bachelor’s degree], veterinary medicine was just so exciting to me,” says Lauren, adding that getting into vet school was “a dream come true.”

Roberts emphasizes the incredible passion she’s felt as she transitioned from the first and second years of veterinary school, which are mainly based in the classroom, to the program’s final two years that provide students with more clinical, hands-on experience.   

“It’s been such a great opportunity to finally have that true application of animal biology, medicine, physiology and see everything coming together,” she says. “It’s been such a great opportunity for me to apply the passion that I have.”

Roberts was surprised to find out she was the recipient of the Jelinski family’s award during the WCVM’s annual fall awards program in October 2025.

“It was a very pleasant surprise to hear that I was able to improve so much once I was in the more clinical years of the program,” she says. “I felt like it was a nice justification that all the hard work I had done was worth it. I was very honoured in the moment to realize I had progressed so much in third year.

“I felt very lucky, for sure.”

Jelinski chose to include his family in the award’s title because of their support throughout his career: “I’ve had a very long and really rewarding career, but it was often long hours, and I’ve always had a very supportive family that supported my enthusiasm and interest in veterinary medicine.”

He adds that his family is involved in the sciences as well. His wife is a retired nurse while his younger daughter is a registered veterinary technologist (RVT) and older daughter is a data analyst with Alberta Health.

In addition to working alongside her classmates in various clinical rotations, Roberts enjoys seeing her professors in a clinical environment — doing what they love and what makes them happiest.

“It’s so incredible seeing a board-certified surgeon or medical oncologist talk about what they do and what they love every single day,” says Roberts, whose post-graduation plans include completing a rotating internship and eventually pursuing a specialization.

Roberts is very grateful to have received the award: “It was such a heartwarming opportunity to be recognized and know that there’s value in being able to improve and grow as a student in the program."

For Jelinski, the award expresses his gratitude for the education he received at the WCVM four decades ago.

“It was an absolute top-notch education, and they continue to produce excellent students,” says Jelinski. “[The award] was a way for our family to give back to the profession that’s been so good to us.”