Join me in helping students overcome educational and economic obstacles.

Although my giving page is no longer active, you can still donate. If you would like to provide any additional support, please do so here.

Hello! My name is Maddy Vesoulis, and I am a fourth year at Ohio State majoring in Zoology, and pursuing minors in Cultural Anthropology and Animal Pre-Veterinary Medicine on the pre-veterinary track. I am from Toledo, Ohio, and despite being 40 minutes south of “That Team Up North”, I was raised in a family of Buckeyes! Ever since I was little, I have dreamed of one day attending The Ohio State University and becoming a veterinarian. After graduation, I will pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree with intentions of either pursuing clinical practice or wildlife conservation research, both with focus on environmental justice and resource availability. I am humbled and thrilled to serve on the 2021 Ohio State Homecoming Court alongside this incredible group of people. What a fantastic way to wrap up our undergraduate years.

Outside the classroom, I am highly involved in Student-Alumni Council where I recently served as their Vice President of Membership. Our organization aims to connect current students with Ohio State alumni and hosts a multitude of on-campus and networking activities. I am also a member of Sigma Epsilon Phi Greek Orthodox Fraternity, a co-ed fraternity on campus that embraces our Greek culture and highlights the importance of scholarship, service, and spirituality. I also engage in research under Dr. Nick Kawa in the Ohio State Department of Anthropology investigating sustainability practices and farm soil health across Ohio. My other previous involvements include the Ohio State Latinx Space for Enrichment and Research as a high school tutor and co-emceeing the TedxOhioStateUniversity 2021 Main Conference. I loved mentoring high schoolers in their daily classwork, and assisting in the college application process, which can be incredibly overwhelming. 

Throughout my education, I have loved learning how to better care for not only animals and the environment, but people too. In my Zoology courses, it is taught that biodiversity is important for any species to survive. Within my cultural anthropology minor, it is taught to approach the human experience as lifelong learners of different cultures and ideologies. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are vital in both the natural world and our social world. As a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), there is a dire need to advocate for equal representation in our majors and careers. A 2021 Pew Research study reports the STEM workforce is an estimated 89% white and 72% male. This suggests “educational pipelines” must be strengthened to ensure students who enter school can not only remain enrolled and survive, but can thrive. 

For this reason, I am enthusiastic to use my platform to fundraise on behalf of the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Support Fund. This fund directly supports current Ohio State students overcoming educational and/or economic obstacles and to increase retention within the college, allowing students to remain engaged with the university community and pursue the career path of their interest. By giving back to this fund, it is not only supporting the future of the sciences, but more importantly it is giving a helping hand to Buckeyes to alleviate students’ financial burden. Students may study, learn, excel, and be propelled into the world as bright and confident changemakers, which is what education is all about. Thank you for considering to support this initiative and for giving all students a chance to pursue their passions and be changemakers of tomorrow! Go Bucks!