As a child in China, Cecilia (Yilei) Zheng, ’22 DVM, grew up on a farm surrounded by cattle, chickens, dogs, and cats. Passionate about learning and keeping up to date on health-related scientific information, Zheng decided early on that she wanted to work in the health profession. And because she enjoyed working with animals and the people who shared a love for them, she chose to major in veterinary medicine. 

That career choice took Zheng thousands of miles from home to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Zheng enrolled at CVM in 2018 as part of a U.S.–China Joint DVM Scholarship Program administered through Kansas State University’s (KSU) U.S.-China Center for Animal Health. 

The program is well-known among Chinese universities with veterinary studies. Chinese universities see the program see a way to shape a better future for veterinary medicine, selecting highly motivated and qualified candidates to participate. Zheng learned about the program while attending an information session in her sophomore year. 

Zheng is one of seven DVM grads to date who have received a degree from the Minnesota contingent of the program, which saw its first student enrolled in 2013. CVM is one of many U.S. partners that deliver training to students from China after they complete one year of a pre-vet curriculum at KSU and meet veterinary school admission requirements that consider language proficiency exams, grade point averages, and applicant interviews.

Attending veterinary school in the United States through the program presented Zheng with opportunities to connect with a community of peers and educators whose support was helpful in living and learning in a new country. 

“There are a lot of challenges we face as international students—cultural differences, language barrier, academics—but our mentors, graduates, and students who are in this program help each other to adjust smoothly,” Zheng says.

In preparation to apply and enroll in the U.S.-China Joint DVM Scholarship program, Zheng completed a four-year undergraduate curriculum and earned her bachelor’s degree at Sichuan Agricultural University. Lacking some pre-requisite courses not available in China, she then spent one year at KSU completing the pre-veterinary coursework in preparation for enrollment at the U of M’s DVM program. 

Established in 2012, the scholarship program involves universities, government, and animal health industry partners in China and the US. Each year, four to eight top undergraduate or graduate students from universities in China are admitted. KSU’s U.S.-China Center for Animal Health, through funding from program partners, provides scholarships that cover tuition for the pre-veterinary studies and activity fees for the duration of the program. The China Scholarship Council generously supports DVM tuition and living expenses.

Upon completion of the program, all students return to China to teach or conduct research at a university, veterinary medicine research institute, government agency, or another public institution for a minimum of six years. 

Recently, Zheng accepted a tenure track associate professor position at Zhejiang University, a top three university in China. The skills she developed during her education at CVM were vital in landing the job.  

“I learned how to take initiative, “ Zheng says. “The adaptability, working ethics, and leadership I gained from school, extra-curricular activities, and leadership seminars motivated me to proactively think about how to contribute to the profession and how to give back to all who have supported me so far.” 

Putting her training to use globally at one of China’s largest veterinary hospitals, Zheng will teach veterinary students to do biochemical and clinical research and will serve people and animals through her clinical work.