The Inspiration Awards are administered by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and funded by the Vernon and Shirley Hill Foundation. The $100,000 awards are the largest unrestricted student awards in veterinary medicine, according to the school.

Award recipient Catherine Brinkley, a second-year student, will use her $100,000 award to study a combination of veterinary medicine and city planning to create a new, unified approach to animal care in urban life, according to the school.

Alison Barnstable and Laurel Redding, who together will receive the other $100,000 award, have partnered with a nonprofit to help people produce their own food and encourage the development of para-professional veterinary services. Barnstable and Redding both are second-year veterinary students.