Featured Senior: Sara “KT” Steward ’12

Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Biology, English Equestrian Studies Major
Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.
Sara “KT” Steward, a pre-veterinary medicine, biology and English equestrian studies major from Boca Raton, Fla., will graduate from The University of Findlay this May with honors and an exemplary display of student involvement.
“At UF, I have had many opportunities to grow in countless ways,” said Steward. Steward attributes part of her growth to the experience as a resident assistant during her sophomore and junior years.
“I don’t think I really understood what is it was to be a leader until, as a sophomore, I was put in charge of a floor of 30 freshman girls. This experience helped me to discover true qualities of leadership, management and even what it takes to be a mentor,” said Steward.
Steward also participated in the University Wind Ensemble and earned a spot in the University Jazz Ensemble four years in a row. Jack Taylor, professor of music and director of bands, was impressed by Steward and her musical extracurricular activities. “[Steward] has been regularly featured as a soloist in the Jazz Ensemble and she has been a four-year music scholarship student,” said Taylor.
Steward served as an Honors student representative to the Honors Board in addition to her research in the biology research labs. Her research project involved examining chromosome damage in the presence of specific genotoxic stressors in canine and equine animals. Steward hypothesized these stressors could be measured in the animals lymphocytes and be used as an indicator of environmental stress.
Steward supervised a small group of students working on the same scientific research for equine species. She presented her research at Posters at the Capitol, a poster presentation in Columbus, Ohio, and at The Ohio Academy of Science in Ashland.
Though Steward stood out in the biology lab during her undergraduate studies, she admits riding for the UF English equestrian team has been her favorite extracurricular activity during her stay at The University of Findlay. She rode on the English equestrian team for four years and rode in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Nationals. She will be participating in the Individual Open on the Flat as well as in the Cacchione Cup.
“Though the 5 a.m. mornings in the middle of winter and grueling no-stirrup practices were rough, at the end of my four years of competition I am a completely different rider than when I started. I have been able to not only follow my passion for the hunter/jumper sport, but also excel at it,” said Steward.
This semester, Steward was accepted to the colleges of veterinary medicine at Iowa State University, University of Missouri, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Florida. Steward enthusiastically chose to attend the University of Florida next year and plans to graduate with a doctorate of veterinary medicine in the spring of 2016.
“It takes hard work and it’s not easy, but if you set your mind to something and really try for it, there are few things you can not accomplish,” said Steward. “I didn’t take no for an answer, and I couldn’t be more pleased with my undergraduate experiences.”
Written By Evan Rowland