Rachel Baum of Gaithersburg, Md., has been named the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech for the 2012-13 academic year.

Baum received her bachelor’s degree in biology from St. Mary’s College and will receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in May. In addition, she plans to earn a master’s degree in public health from Virginia Tech this fall.

Baum has excelled academically and was the recipient of the Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Scholarship and the Southwest Virginia Veterinary Medical Association Award.

In addition, she is the chair of the college’s Honor Board and serves as a college ambassador. Baum served as an on-call student veterinary technician for two years starting in 2010. She has been a North American Veterinary Conference student representative since 2011. 

Baum is the daughter of Kris and Michael Baum.

Outstanding Senior Awards are presented at the Student Honors Day Banquet each spring. Co-sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the senior class, the award recognizes outstanding student performance in each college of the university. Students are selected on the basis of their grade point average (a minimum of a 3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale) and outstanding performance in several or all of the following areas: academic achievement, extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and contributions of service to the university and/or community.

Written by Catherine Doss.
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