Scholarships & Awards

Dr. Rex L. Gilbreath Memorial Award

Awarded to a senior majoring in animal science in memory of Dr. Gilbreath, former Associate Professor of Animal Sciences, Alpha Zeta Professor of the Year, and researcher in the field of swine nutrition.

2026 Award Winner

Jacob Cooke

Jacob is the recipient of the 2026 Dr. Rex L. Gilbreath Memorial Award. As an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track, he has had a great time here at Rutgers over the past four years and being selected for the Gilbreath Award as his time here comes to an end is such an honor. Being able to take so many incredible classes here taught by such great professors has been a privilege. Whether he was in a classroom, on the farm, or in a lab, there were so many opportunities for hands-on learning that have taught him much more than textbooks alone could. Outside of classes, Jacob has enjoyed connecting with others in SEBS by attending entomology club meetings and spending two years in Alpha Zeta. Despite having enjoyed his time at Rutgers, he is definitely looking forward to graduating. Afterward, Jacob will return to the veterinary practice he works at before continuing on to Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine this fall to pursue a DVM.

Departmental Senior Excellence Awards (Endowed)

Awarded to seniors in recognition of excellence in academics, research, and service to the Department of Animal Sciences, SEBS, and Rutgers-New Brunswick.

2026 Award Winners

Stella Ahn

Stella is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics and Service. She is an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track. She has been involved in Alpha Zeta since the spring of her freshman year. She has also been a teaching assistant for Intro to Animal Science (11:067:142) and a supervisor for the Animal Handling, Fitting, and Exhibition (11:067:175) swine sections. 

After graduating, Stella will be attending the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan. A fun fact about her is that she used to play club volleyball.

Jacob Bazer

Jacob is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics and Service. He is an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track. He is one of the founding members of the Rutgers Animal Welfare Judging Team and has competed in the AVMA Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Competition (AWJAC) multiple times with the team. He and the team have won multiple times despite being a very new team, and their awards are proudly displayed in Dr. Ross’s office. Jacob is also completing his Honors College Capstone by competing in and researching the AVMA AWJAC. He was a change-making mentor at the Rutgers Honors College for two years to help support fellow classmates and create a sense of community within the Honors College. He was also a teaching assistant for the classes Intro to Animal Science (11:067:142) and Animal Behavior and Welfare (11:067:310) in which he helped other students learn more about animal science.

This fall Jacob will be attending the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He hopes to someday open his own practice and potentially specialize in neurology or cardiology.

Savannah Chiou

Savannah is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics and Research. She is an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track. She spent two rewarding years working in The Pink Lab under Dr. Roepke, where she conducted independent research through the George H. Cook Honors program examining the effects of micro- and nanoplastics on female reproductive function. She has also explored diverse areas of veterinary medicine, going from spay-and-neuter work in California, to lab animal work in New Jersey, then to exotic zoo medicine in Taiwan. Outside of school, Savannah works as a teaching assistant in a biomedical research program, where she mentors high school students through molecular biology lab experiments and helps them navigate the transition to college life at universities in California and London. These were some experiences that shaped her passion to become a veterinary toxicologist in the future, and she strives to make a meaningful difference to help animals and their families!

Jackie LaChow

Jackie is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics and Research. She is an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track. She has worked in Dr. Roepke's lab conducting research to understand the effects of maternal exposure to PFAS on offspring behavior for her George H. Cook Honors project. She has also been a member of the Veterinary Science Club and served as secretary for a year. She is an active member of the academic honors fraternity Alpha Zeta, served as the Sergeant at Arms, and currently sits as co-chair of the Brotherhood Committee. Through Rutgers Global, Jackie had the opportunity to study abroad in Belize, which was one of the most amazing experiences she has had as a prevet student. Outside of school, she has worked with many types of animals in different settings, including Turtle Back Zoo and a high-volume spay and neuter clinic, but she currently works at Banfield Pet Hospital as a veterinary assistant.

After graduation, Jackie will be attending the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University. In the future, she hopes to open her own practice, potentially a spay and neuter clinic to help provide access to affordable care in her community.

Felicity Saucedo

Felicity is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics as a Transfer Student. She is an Animal Science major on the Laboratory Animal Science track. As a first-generation college student, her time here at Rutgers has helped her grow academically and personally. She is currently an undergraduate researcher in the Cluntun lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, where she works closely with the mice and contributes to research using a tamoxifen inducible conditional knockout model. She was also part of the NextGen research internship program, which helped her further develop her laboratory animal skills. Outside of research, Felicity has gained more hands-on animal care experience through her job at Petco and course work. She also served as a peer mentor for the Rutgers Animal Science Discovery Program, helping support LaGuardia students learn more about the Animal Science major at Rutgers.

After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in research and development within the animal health and pharmaceutical industry to gain more experience before pursuing a master’s degree. One fun fact about Felicity is that she loves art and in her free time, she enjoys drawing.

Adrianna Sweeney

Adrianna is the recipient of a Department of Animal Sciences Senior Excellence Award for Achievement in Academics and Research. She is an Animal Science major on the Preveterinary Medicine and Research track. At the start of her Rutgers journey, she got a job at the CHI research laboratory, where her duties involved the daily care and husbandry of laboratory rodents. From there, she was accepted into the Douglass Residential College’s Project SUPER summer science program where she joined Dr. Bello’s laboratory as an assistant. She still works there running behavioral neuroscience experiments, and this experience has shaped the trajectory of her future career. In her senior year, she joined the Society of Animal Science Club where she competed at the 2026 Northeast Student Affiliate (NESA) Conference and won the award for Best Original Research Presentation. Outside of science, Adrianna was also the president of the Stitch for Life Club on campus that focused on uniting both novice and experienced fiber artists to craft as a community.

Her post-graduation goals include applying to DVM-PhD programs where she will hopefully become a veterinary scientist. A fun fact about her is that rats are her favorite animal, and she owns three of them as pets.

More information on financial assistance can be found on the SEBS Financial Aid & Scholarships page.