For three graduating students in the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2026, Shelter Medicine is more than a career path. It’s a way to expand access to care, strengthen communities, and improve the lives of animals and the people who love them.
Each of these students completed the Certificate in Shelter Medicine while pursuing their veterinary degrees, gaining advanced training through specialized coursework, externships, field experiences, and hands-on clinical rotations. This year, they were recognized with some of the program’s highest honors for their commitment to Shelter Medicine and community-centered care.
Kelsey Andridge: Award for Excellence in Shelter Medicine
The Award for Excellence in Shelter Medicine recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing the lives of sheltered and homeless animals through the study and practice of Shelter Medicine. This year’s recipient is Kelsey Andridge.
Kelsey came to veterinary medicine through an unconventional path. After earning degrees in vocal performance from New York University, she spent nearly a decade performing and teaching in New York City before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted her direction. While fostering bottle-fed kittens for the ASPCA kitten nursery, she discovered a passion for Shelter Medicine that transformed her career goals.
“I just fell in love with Shelter Medicine,” she said. “I realized how broad the field really is: not just adoptions, but access to care, community medicine, surgery, foster programs, and all the different ways you can help animals and people.”
After completing her science prerequisites while working in veterinary practices and at the ASPCA, Kelsey enrolled at UF, where the Shelter Medicine Program quickly became central to her veterinary education. She credits experiences like the shelter consultation rotation with expanding her understanding of how shelters operate under widely different circumstances.
“It was really inspiring to see shelters with limited resources still doing incredibly meaningful work,” she said. “Sometimes people judge struggling shelters without understanding what they’re working with. Seeing Dr. Crawford help organizations problem-solve creatively was amazing.”
Kelsey will continue her training after graduation through a Shelter Medicine rotating internship at San Diego Humane Society, where she’ll work in HQHVSN, community medicine, kitten nursery care, and wildlife rehabilitation.
“I wondered when I started vet school if I might change my mind about Shelter Medicine,” she said. “But it’s only gotten stronger. It’s such a multifaceted field, and I’m excited to finally be part of it.”
June Wilkinson: Rosebud Award
The Rosebud Award recognizes graduating students who are passionate about Shelter Medicine and dedicated to building careers that improve the lives of animals and communities. It is named in honor of the anonymous donors’ beloved cat. For recipient June Wilkinson, that mission is deeply personal.
June grew up in North Dakota, spending much of her childhood on a reservation where veterinary access was extremely limited. After initially pursuing wildlife conservation research, her life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with lymphoma during graduate school. Following treatment, recovery, and eventually returning to complete her degree, she found herself working as a veterinary assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That experience, combined with memories of growing up in an underserved community, reshaped her understanding of veterinary medicine.
“It was really hard to see families who loved their pets but simply couldn’t afford care,” she said. “That hit home for me because I understood what that felt like.”
At UF, June discovered the Shelter Medicine Certificate program and quickly immersed herself in shelter and community medicine experiences, including Shelter Camp and the shelter consultation rotation.
One experience that especially stayed with her was visiting an under-resourced shelter operating without a veterinarian on staff.
“There was a young employee trying his absolute best to manage serious infectious disease issues without support,” she said. “It really showed me how much difference even one shelter veterinarian can make.”
Along with earning her Veterinary Business Management Certificate, June hopes to open a community clinic with mobile veterinary units serving underserved communities, including reservations in North Dakota where access to veterinary care remains extremely limited.
“I want to meet people literally where they are,” she said. “I don’t just want to help animals. I want to help communities stay together with the pets they love.”
Allie Regalado: Doris Day and Terry Melcher Endowed Scholarship in Shelter Medicine
The Doris Day and Terry Melcher Endowed Scholarship in Shelter Medicine recognizes students dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged animals through Shelter Medicine and community outreach.
For Allie Regalado, Shelter Medicine has been a longtime goal.
A Florida native and proud “double Gator,” Allie completed both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees at UF. Her early experiences volunteering with rescues and shelters around Chicago helped shape her commitment to animal welfare from a young age.
“I’ve always wanted to leave the world better than I found it,” she said. “Shelter Medicine gave me a way to make a difference in animals’ lives while also helping people and communities.”
Throughout veterinary school, Allie pursued every opportunity to deepen her Shelter Medicine experience through the certificate program, including the Veterinary Community Outreach Program (VCOP), Shelter Medicine rotations, and spay/neuter externships.
One case in particular stayed with her: a kitten suffering from respiratory distress caused by a diaphragmatic hernia during an externship.
“We were able to surgically repair the defect and give her a second chance at life,” she said. “A few weeks later, I learned she had been adopted and was thriving in her new home.”
After graduation, Allie will work as an associate veterinarian at the Patty Baker Humane Society Naples in southwest Florida, caring for shelter animals while also serving public clients through community programs and a mobile clinic serving underserved areas.
“One of the things I value most about Shelter Medicine is its ability to help both animals and people,” she said. “I hope to continue expanding access to care and helping keep pets with the families who love them whenever possible.”
Congratulations to all of the 2026 award recipients. We look forward to seeing the impact they’ll make in shelters, clinics, and communities across the country.