Where Passion Meets Excellence: King earns Dean Harry W. Orr Memorial Award
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Media Contact: Kinsey Reed | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-6740 | cvmcommunications@okstate.edu
Growing up in Arlington, Texas, Hannah King was determined to become a veterinarian.
That passion was solidified through years of hands-on experience in the field. King, a fourth-year veterinary student at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, began shadowing at veterinary clinics at age 14, starting with small animals.
Her interests expanded during her undergraduate career at Texas A&M University, where she majored in biomedical sciences and worked at an equine breeding facility. Despite not growing up around horses, King quickly became comfortable and knowledgeable, deepening her interest in equine and small animal medicine.
Now, King’s dedication and academic excellence have been recognized through the Dean Harry W. Orr Memorial Award scholarship, presented in the spring of 2025. The Orr Award honors the top-ranking third-year veterinary student.
“I was honored when I found out I received this prestigious award,” King said. “It shows that my hard work has paid off, and being recognized for that is heartwarming.”
Beyond the honor of receiving the award, the scholarship is helping ease the financial burden of veterinary school.
“This scholarship will benefit me in multiple ways. I am currently not working, so any extra money to go toward my loans is tremendously helpful and appreciated,” King said. “It also helps a lot because I am an out-of-state student, so my tuition is quite high. Receiving a scholarship, in any amount, is much appreciated and will help me now and in the future without having to pay as much as I originally had thought for school.
“Without this scholarship, I would have to take out even more loans and go further into debt, so I am incredibly grateful.”
Before coming to OSU, King gained experience at multiple veterinary clinics in Texas. She credits those early experiences and mentors with helping shape her career path.
“I have learned so much from the doctors that I have worked with and know that I am going to be the best doctor I can be because of my experiences at these clinics,” King said. “I can’t thank the veterinarians that I have worked with enough for pursuing me and encouraging me to keep learning.”
While working in clinics, King saw the powerful role veterinarians play during moments of crisis.
“I saw how I could make a difference for animals and their owners,” she said. “I want to be an advocate for animals and do my best to take care of them in their times of need.”
As King enters her final year at OSU, she is eager to go from the classroom to clinical rotations at the hospital. After graduation, she hopes to return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and become a mixed animal general practitioner.
“I am looking forward to getting a lot of experience on my different rotations and finally getting out of the classroom to continue growing my knowledge and applying what I know to a clinical setting,” she said.
Photo By: Kinsey Reed
Story By: Abby Bianchi | Vet Cetera Magazine