For the love of animals
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Bethany Lynn Shockey
Dana and Jeff Shockey recently received a heartfelt thank you letter from a stranger. Rachel Mutter, a Veterinary Technology student at LSC-Tomball wanted to thank the donors who generously provided her a scholarship so that she can reach her dreams of taking care of animals. The Shockeys created the Bethany Lynn Shockey Memorial Fund in honor of their daughter, also a LSC-Tomball vet tech graduate.
Mom Dana said, "Bethany loved animals, so when she came home and said Mom I want to be a Vet Tech and I am going to go to Lone Star Tomball to complete the Veterinary Technology Program we were not surprised, this was her dream and we wanted to help students that have the same dream to achieve that dream."
Tragically, Bethany died in a car accident in 2017 just as she was starting her new career caring for animals. It was in her memory that her family decided to help others with the same passion as Bethany.
"All of our children have attended Lone Star and excelled, it is a great school and a great asset to our community. It makes fulfilling your dreams of getting an education more attainable for more students," said Dana Shockey.
The scholarship has certainly helped Mutter. As she wrote in her letter, "by awarding me this scholarship, you have taken a weight off my shoulders which has allowed me to focus better on studying. I will be forever grateful of your generosity in honor of Bethany. I promise that I will continue to make a difference in the lives of people as well as animals."
Mutter is the Veterinary Technology Student Organization President and volunteers for several organizations including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Harris County Animal shelters. She wants to pursue her bachelor's degree after graduating from LSC-Tomball and ultimately work as a licensed Veterinary Technologist in a zoo.
"I have previously been a volunteer in wildlife rehabilitation where I learned that I love being able to nurse an animal back to health and then release them back into the wild," Mutter said.
Donors can specify that scholarships benefit students in particular programs such as Veterinary Technology. The Shockey family also created a second scholarship for students studying criminal justice at Tomball called the "Officer Corey Williams Scholarship in Memory of Bethany Lynn Shockey".
"Bethany was killed when she was hit head on by a drunk driver going the wrong way on Hwy 6. When we got the call that she had been in an accident we headed to the Navasota Hospital. When we arrived at the Hospital we were informed that she had passed away and at that point we had no idea what to do; our world was shattered," said Shockey. "Officer Corey Williams walked up to us and offered his condolences and offered to assist us with the process that we needed to complete in the next couple of hours. He was very caring, helpful and comforting anything we needed he got us he made a very difficult time more manageable. We believe that by doing a scholarship in his name we could inspire more students to choose this much needed profession to one day be a guiding force in another families lives when they need it the most."
If you are interested in helping students realize their dream by creating a scholarship, please email LSC Foundation.