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DEWEY DEGREE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED BY SCHNITTKER AND GURAL AT TIOGA

Tim Bojarski, Zeljko Bosnjak, Nikki Branigan, Anjelka Bosnjak, Ray Schnittker, Jeff Gural, and Jason Settlemoir

Fresh off his Meadowlands Pace victory, Ray Schnittker joined Tioga Downs' principal owner Jeff Gural and members of the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association on Sunday (July 18) in the winner's circle at Tioga to present the 2010 edition of the Dewey Degree College Scholarship. This year $3,000 was awarded to two students whose grades and accomplishments stood out among all the applicants. 

Anjelka Bosnjak from Grand Valley, Ontario received one of the scholarships and was presented the check by the group. She is currently studying at the Ontario Veterinary College, pursuing her degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine specializing in large animal medicine. She is in her second year of graduate school and will become a licensed veterinarian with the class of 2013.

The other scholarship recipient was Chelsea Fahy from Washington, Pa. She is currently attending the University of Findlay in Ohio and has completed her first year of study with a major in pre-vet and a minor in math. She ended the year with a 3.93 GPA and an “A” in each of the 14 courses she took in the first two semesters and made the Dean's list twice. Chelsea was unable to attend the presentation due to her schedule.

Anjelka and Chelsea each received a check for $1,500.

 ANJELKA BOSNJAK AND CHELSEA FAHY RECEIVE DEWEY DEGREE SCHOLARSHIPS

                      Anjelka Bosnjak                                                            Chelsea Fahy

The Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association is proud to announce the recipients of the 2010 edition of the Dewey Degree College Scholarship are Anjelka Bosnjak and Chelsea Fahy.

This year, UNY-USHWA had a large response of applicants and the field of eligible students was stellar. After the committee spent days reading over the transcripts, references, and essays, the group was narrowed to two. We then realized that both girls were scholastically outstanding and worthy of the award so it was decided we would recognize them both and each will receive a check for $1,500.00.

Anjelka Bosnjak is from Grand Valley, Ontario. Her parents Nikki Branigan and Zeljko Bosnjak have been breeding and racing standardbreds for as long as she can remember. She started working in their barn at age 4 and had her groom’s license by age 10. Her love for horses eventually made her realize she wanted to make it her career.

She enrolled at the University of Guelph where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biological Sciences in 2007. She is currently studying at the Ontario Veterinary College pursuing her degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She is in her second year of study and will be graduating as a licensed Veterinarian with the class of 2013.

Although she carried a 3.5 GPA upon graduation, Anjelka was not accepted to the Veterinary program on her first try. She took 11 non-degree science courses in 2008 and then re-applied in 2009, where she was accepted. Since then she has excelled in the course scoring “A’s” in biochemistry, veterinary medicine, clinical medicine, health management and medical genetics.

One of her Professor’s described Anjelka as “dedicated to work and work ethic, is a quick learner, has an eye for detail, has excellent leadership skills, applies knowledge well and is quick to question results and procedures. She has simply done outstanding with all her course work.”

Anjelka is currently working at McMaster-Powell Equine Services. Other veterinarians and clinics that helped mentor her are Dr. Terry Ruch from the Barrie Equine Clinic, Dr. Jodi Kendrew, Dr. Richard Bryson and Linwood Veterinary Services.

Her perseverance towards her ultimate goal of becoming a veterinarian and the excellence of her work once that opportunity presented itself are reasons why we felt Anjelka Bosnjak was deserving of this award.

Chelsea Fahy is from Washington, PA and is the daughter of Moira and Bill Fahy. Moira had her own stable before marrying Bill, who is most notable for campaigning the likes of Western Hanover and Jenna’s Beach Boy.

She is currently attending the University of Findlay in Ohio and has completed her first year of study with a major in pre-vet and a minor in math. Her transcripts show a 3.93 GPA and an “A” next to each of the 14 courses she took in the first two semesters. And oh yes, she made the Deans list twice. Did I mention she aced Calculus II and outperformed everyone in U of Findlay’s Pharmacy program in that course?

On top of her heavy course load, Chelsea also works two part time jobs, interns at the Canon Hill Veterinary Clinic at the Meadows, and helps her parents with their racing stable.

After getting her degree, Chelsea plans on strengthening the sport of harness racing by first strengthening the immune systems of its horses. She wants to educate people to use alternative methods of health care on harness horses in order to reduce the unexpected side effects of currently used methods. She wrote “I believe my education in veterinary medicine and my innate skills, along with my passion and commitment to the harness racing industry will allow me to be a leader in the future of harness racing.”

One of her Professors wrote of Chelsea “She has a great work ethic, pays attention to detail, inspires trust in others, has excellent communication skills, has shown herself to be a loyal friend, consistently shows concern over other people’s welfare, and is an asset to our University.” Dr. Nicholas Loutsion who Fahy works with commented “You would be hard pressed to find a young person who is motivated, is a self starter, who has a thirst for knowledge, as well as being an intelligent, caring, and well grounded individual. All these attributes must be used when describing this fantastic young lady!”

Congratulations to these two industry leaders of tomorrow. The formal check presentations will be made at Tioga Downs next month.

The Dewey Degree Scholarship was initiated by generous donations from Ray Schnittker and Jeff Gural and is administered by the Upstate New York Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association. It was named after Schnittker’s great Hambletonian winning trotter Deweycheatumnhowe who is currently standing at Westwind Farm in Strathroy, Ontario. 

TIOGA DOWNS AND VERNON DOWNS 2010 MEDIA GUIDES ARE NOW AVAILABLE

A plethora of information for horsemen and fans alike is available in the new 2010 editions of the Tioga and Vernon Downs Media Guides. Pictures, records, bios, race dates, and stake information highlight this years volumes. Click the links below to get yours today!

Tioga Downs

Vernon Downs

UPSTATE NY USHWA WEBSITE HAS HAD OVER 120,000 HITS SINCE ITS INCEPTION

In the two years we have been online, our readership has grown steadily. We are now one of the most sought after sources for racing news online in New York State outside of the Big Apple. Horsemen and fans alike from Tioga, Vernon, Buffalo and Batavia (not to mention others) regularly log on for the latest news, information and pictures from their favorite Upstate New York tracks and we thank you for the opportunity to supply this information to you.