Guelph vet student wins first Waterloo Region Rainbow Student Award

Angelique Castelo'shard work in both her veterinary medicine studies and her dedication to a lesbian and gay student vet club have earned herthe first Waterloo Region Rainbow Student Award.

Castelo is a second-year student at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary Collegeand will be spending her summer in Tanzania an assistant field veterinarian with Vets Without Borders for three months.

She will workwith villagers to improve their livestock production and helpincrease food security within their families.

"It's very exciting because I have never been to Africa," she said. "I heard from one of my good friends who did Uganda last year, she said it was very eye opening and I don't doubt that."

Club president

Castelo is the president of Guelph's Lesbian andGay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA).

The group has existed for five yearsand works to create a supportive andinclusive atmosphere forLGBTQstudents at the college.

Castelo has been balancing school work and leading the medical associationbyarranging lunch talks and social gatherings.

She said itcan be a challenge sometimes, but running LGVMAhelps her from feeling burnoutfrom her school work.

"I have a lot of fun doing it," she said. "It's an imaginative side of me where I can express myself."

Taking the role as president ofLGVMAwas a coincidence, she added. The club was going to shut down, so Castelo stepped in.

'Share her gift with others'

The award, which Castelo received on Saturday,was created bySPECTRUM, Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space. It's to recognize youth who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the community while balancing academic success.

SunnaMurphy, director of community engagement with SPECTRUM, said they chose Castelobecause of her charitable work and that she was using her education to help the world around her.

"I found her to be very friendly and personable, a very warm person," Murphy said."Definitely someone who has a giving spirit and who is very much the kind of person wanting to be of service and wanting to share her gift with others."

Casteloreceived $1,500,which she said will go towards fundraising for her upcoming Vets Without Borders program in Tanzania and help her financially throughout the rest school year.

"I'm really honoured," Castelosaid of the award, crediting professor Andrew Peregrine for his help with LGVMA.

"I'm very fortunate to have Dr. Peregrine's guidance," she said."He has been such a big factor in the success of the club and this is pretty much recognition of all the hard work we've all been doing collectively as a group."