I try to exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life by being kind to those around me and working on being the best that I can every day. I was taught excellence is not being perfect for the world but making my world perfect for me. My mother is a strong woman who pushes me daily to do my best and be my best. She did not come from a good home and tries hard to not be like her mother and pushes me to achieve great things. She tells me there is no giving up no matter how much the world beats you down, you dust yourself off, stand tall and move forward. I volunteer though my church and help with youth Sunday school each week. The young kids are a challenge, but they are so full of life and pure joy that it makes it enjoyable. I do a lot of community service through my clubs FFA and 4H. That is mainly fund raisers and food drives, but we do put on festivals through the year for the neighborhood kids to teach them about animals. I also show livestock goats and help mentor others on livestock goat showing. I teach them the proper way to brace the goat and walk them. How to properly groom their hair and hooves to avoid overgrown hooves which can alter muscle growth and walk. There are many kids that are ruthless and won’t help each other because they want to be the winner, but a winner helps others succeed. I was struggling for months when I started and then a nice man guided me on what to do and I feel it is only right to pass on that kindness. Both my parents came from low-income homes but yet they worked their way through college determined to break the cycle of their families as they were both first generation college graduates. I think of my parents as a power couple, together they pushed each other and supported each other’s goals to have a better life for their kids. My dream is to go to Texas A&M and even though I love animals, cardiology has a greater calling to me. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and over 250 million people are living with coronary heart disease. Many never get treated because of lack of money or living in an area where they do not have a doctor with that specialty to help them. With so many underprivileged families not being able to access healthcare or afford it, I hope to join doctors without borders to try and help as many lives as possible. Being able to help people around the world would be such a blessing to me.

My mother grew up in the military. She traveled the world and I loved hearing all the wonderful stories of where she went and what she saw. She spent most of her youth in Asia and it is my dream to visit the places she has been. My brother even joined the Air Force once he turned 18 but he did not have the passion to continue on for a full service. However my fondest moment was doing a report on Vietnam and interviewing my grandpa. My grandpa is my favorite person. He is quiet and my grandmother says Vietnam was very hard on him and suffers from PTSD. He does not speak of what happened over there but he did just to help me on my school report. He was in the first carvery and was apart of the Tet Offensive. His battalion of around 400 soldiers were moving to the West Wall to cut the supplies to North Vietnamese soldiers and stumbled across a NVA regiment. They were crossing a rice field when snippers open fire on them. They were outnumbered by at least 4 times. Trying to make their way to the tree line from the rice fields was difficult. Many soldiers were killed right away. It seemed hopeless as they were quickly overrun. Once they made it to the tree lines, they made fox holes and did their best to hold off the NVA as best they could. It was miserable, constant gun fire, and rain. He said he hid behind bamboo trees and after a bit of gun fire the bamboo was filled with holes. They did many night operations to try and continue. One night around 8pm they moved out trying to make it to a mountain nearby. They walked for what seemed like forever and finally made it. Their new position gave them better positioning to attack the enemy. While walking with another soldier a bullet went right between my grandfather and the soldier, just missing my grandfathers head. He was incredibly lucky it did not hit him. He did get hit with shrapnel in the arm from a bomb, but it could have been worse. His hearing is severely damaged with all the loud gunfire. He, along with many other soldiers received jungle rot from open cuts from walking through the terrain. I remember asking him how he felt personally during it and he said, "I had been fighting in Vietnam for a long while already, but nothing compared to the Tet Offensive. Being stuck behind enemy lines with no support from our Military and being outnumbered many of us had no hope. I still cannot believe I am alive. Out of 400 people only 196 made it." My grandfather was only 21. He is the bravest and most special person I know.

I try to exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life by being kind to those around me and working on being the best that I can every day. I was taught excellence is not being perfect for the world but making my world perfect for me. My mother is a strong woman who pushes me daily to do my best and be my best. She did not come from a good home and tries hard to not be like her mother and pushes me to achieve great things. She tells me there is no giving up no matter how much the world beats you down, you dust yourself off, stand tall and move forward. I volunteer though my church and help with youth Sunday school each week. The young kids are a challenge, but they are so full of life and pure joy that it makes it enjoyable. I do a lot of community service through my clubs FFA and 4H. That is mainly fund raisers and food drives, but we do put on festivals through the year for the neighborhood kids to teach them about animals. I also show livestock goats and help mentor others on livestock goat showing. I teach them the proper way to brace the goat and walk them. How to properly groom their hair and hooves to avoid overgrown hooves which can alter muscle growth and walk. There are many kids that are ruthless and won’t help each other because they want to be the winner, but a winner helps others succeed. I was struggling for months when I started and then a nice man guided me on what to do and I feel it is only right to pass on that kindness. Both my parents came from low income homes but yet they worked their way through college determined to break the cycle of their families as they were both first generation college graduates. I think of my parents as a power couple, together they pushed each other and supported each others goals to have a better life for their kids. My dream is to go to Texas A&M and even though I love animals, cardiology has a greater calling to me. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and over 250 million people are living with coronary heart disease. Many never get treated because of lack of money or living in an area where they do not have a doctor with that specialty to help them. With so many under privileged families not being able to access healthcare or afford it, I hope to join doctors without borders to try and help as many lives as possible. Being able to help people around the world would be such a blessing to me.

I try to exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life by being kind to those around me, and working on being the best that I can every day. This is my junior year and will be my hardest high school year. My workload between school, clubs and community is fully loaded because I am determined to go to the college of my dreams. I am only in my second week of school, and it is already difficult, but I know in the end it will be worth it. I was taught excellence is not being perfect for the world but making my world perfect for me. My mother is a strong woman who pushes me daily to do my best and be my best. She did not come from a good home and tries hard to not be like her mother and pushes me to achieve great things. She tells me there is no giving up no matter how much the world beats you down, you dust yourself off, stand tall and move forward. I volunteer though my church and help with youth Sunday school each week. The young kids are a challenge, but they are so full of life and pure joy that it makes it enjoyable. I do a lot of community service through my clubs FFA and 4H. That is mainly fund raisers and food drives, but we do put on festivals through the year for the neighborhood kids to teach them about animals. I also show livestock goats and help mentor others on livestock goat showing. I teach them the proper way to brace the goat and walk them. How to properly groom their hair and hooves to avoid overgrown hooves which can alter the muscle growth and walk. There are many kids that are ruthless and won’t help each other because they want to be the winner, but a winner helps others succeed. I was struggling for months when I started and then a nice man guided me on what to do and I feel it is only right to pass on that kindness. My dream is to go to Texas A&M and even though I love animals, cardiology has a greater calling to me. With so many under privileged families not being able to afford health care I plan to join doctors without boards once I get my doctorate. Being able to help people around the world would be such a blessing to me.

I try to exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life by being kind to those around me, and working on being the best that I can every day. This is my junior year and will be my hardest high school year. My workload between school, clubs and community is fully loaded because I am determined to go to the college of my dreams. I am only in my second week of school, and it is already difficult, but I know in the end it will be worth it. I was taught excellence is not being perfect for the world but making my world perfect for me. My mother is a strong woman who pushes me daily to do my best and be my best. She did not come from a good home and tries hard to not be like her mother and pushes me to achieve great things. She tells me there is no giving up no matter how much the world beats you down, you dust yourself off, stand tall and move forward. I volunteer though my church and help with youth Sunday school each week. The young kids are a challenge, but they are so full of life and pure joy that it makes it enjoyable. I do a lot of community service through my clubs FFA and 4H. That is mainly fund raisers and food drives, but we do put on festivals through the year for the neighborhood kids to teach them about animals. I also show livestock goats and help mentor others on livestock goat showing. I teach them the proper way to brace the goat and walk them. How to properly groom their hair and hooves to avoid overgrown hooves which can alter the muscle growth and walk. There are many kids that are ruthless and won’t help each other because they want to be the winner, but a winner helps others succeed. I was struggling for months when I started and then a nice man guided me on what to do and I feel it is only right to pass on that kindness. My dream is to go to Texas A&M and even though I love animals, cardiology has a greater calling to me. With so many under privileged families not being able to afford health care I plan to join doctors without boards once I get my doctorate. Being able to help people around the world would be such a blessing to me.

My mother is a strong woman who has fought for years working in a "mans" industry of Oil and Gas and Construction. I have seen the struggles she has faced with men treating her with such disrespect. They treat her as if she should be at home doing house work instead of being their boss. The unfortunate part is that she has to be very stern or they try to walk all over her and degrade her but when she is they say its her time of the month. My mother has taught me to be strong and to do things on my own and not have to rely on a man. She has pushed me to do and be what ever I want regardless on people saying "woman don't belong" and I thank her for that. She has taught me how to use power tools and work on my car and my father is just as encouraging and wants me to be a strong woman. As much as I admire my mother for her fight and determination to be the best in a mans industry, her industry is just not the one I want to fight in. My goal is to be a cardiologist. Only 15% of the US cardiologists are woman. I have been told I need to go in a field for woman, like OBGYN, Pediatrics or Dermatology. The fact that the world views woman only as nurtures and care takers that are unable to have complex thoughts and ideas is infuriating. I know the world is changing but somethings take longer to die. My dream is to attend Texas A&M or Baylor, I know Baylor is way more than I can afford but that's what dreams are for right? Go big big or go home. If I get accepted to either college I will work hard to be the best I can and help clear a path for future generations. I want to be like my mother and continue to be a role model for young woman to stop listening to anyone, not just men, who say "you can't do this because your a girl." Yes, there are things men can do better because we are not built the same but intellectually we are no different and the only thing holding us back is our self doubt caused by society telling us that we can only do certain things in life. If only positive encouragement was what society instilled in our youth than both men and woman could create a thriving society.

The experience that led me to pursue an education in veterinary science is from joining FFA. Now I have always loved animals, and I share that passion with my mother. If it was up to her she would have a mini farm, but it was not until I joined FFA that I realized that I want to devote my life to animals. It started after I moved to a new school 2 months after 7th grade started and then covid hit a few months after that which did not give me a lot of time to form friendships. I was very depressed, I missed my friends and old school. Once our school district allowed us to go back to school during 8th grade we were visited by our high schools FFA club. Just hearing them talk about all the amazing thing they do with animals I knew I wanted to join so I selected an ag class for my freshman year. 1 month into my freshman year ag class, our teacher asked who was going to raise animals. I was so excited and raised my hand right away even though I hadn't asked permission from my parents. I knew my mom would be happy as her schools did not have FFA however my father would be the hard one to get on board. When I got home and told my mom that I wanted to raise a goat for my freshman year ag project, she started planning where to build a mini barn for him on our property. After we purchased the goat I would be raising for the next school year, I just fell in love. Joining FFA has taught me so much responsibility from grooming, nutritional feeding, medicine and sportsmanship. Raising farm animals is a lot harder than domestic animals but it is just as rewarding. However these farm animals we raise for FFA are not just for raising they are for show as well. We have to condition them for our county show every year. This means special diets and exercise to help develop them to their fullest potential for our county show. To do this I spent hours each day in the summer just bonding with my goats so that I can work on training them to walk on a halter and brace for shows. I wake up every morning at 6am to feed and give fresh water and hay to my goats, which for a teen who likes her sleep that is no easy task. After school I spend 2 to 3 hours with them either exercising or just hanging out with them since they are heard animals and do not like to be alone. As a junior now I am on my 3rd goat, I am also a part of my FFA veterinary team and hope to attend Texas A&M so I can continue my education in veterinary science. My dream is to help farmers and ranchers have affordable veterinary care for their livestock.

I would say I resonate most with Jim, even though I can see each one in me at different times. He works hard and gets his job done but he understands the balance in which to have fun and make his job enjoyable. My parents always taught me the same thing, but my mom the most. She can be very serious but her staff always loves working with her because she makes work fun. I started working in an office this year and I wish it was like the show but it is more like when Charles takes over and the fun is sucked out. Jim is an easygoing almost carefree individual which is something I would like to be a little more of as I can lean towards Angela, sometimes when people do not do their work it puts me behind and can make me irritable and moody like her. I know I am paid to work but why not have a little harmless fun right? I mean I am not going to have a snowball fight indoors or hide a phone in the ceiling which there are some people in my office I could see reacting the same way Andy did. If I ever have my own business with staff I would like to instill a little of Jim's humor with my staff. Laughter brings people together and I think with all the adolescent tactics that Jim, does in the office, especially to Dwight, it brings the coworkers together like a family.

I try to exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life by being kind to those around me and working on being the best that I can be every day. This is my junior year and will be my hardest high school year. My workload between school, clubs and community is fully loaded because I am determined to go to the college of my dreams. I am only in my second week of school, and it is already difficult, but I know in the end it will be worth it. I was taught excellence is not being perfect for the world but making my world perfect for me. My mother is a strong woman who pushes me daily to do my best and be my best. She did not come from a good home and tries hard to not be like her mother and pushes me to achieve great things. She tells me there is no giving up no matter how much the world beats you down, you dust yourself off, stand tall and move forward. I volunteer through my church and help with youth Sunday school each week. The young kids are a challenge, but they are so full of life and pure joy that it makes it enjoyable. I do a lot of community service through my clubs FFA and 4H. That is mainly fundraisers and food drives, but we do put on festivals throughout the year for the neighborhood kids to teach them about animals. What I truly enjoy is working with my local shelter the most. Helping animals in need just warms your soul. I also show livestock goats and help mentor others in livestock goat showing. I teach them the proper way to brace the goat and walk them. How to properly groom their hair and hooves to avoid overgrown hooves which can alter the muscle growth and walk. Many kids are ruthless and won’t help each other because they want to be the winner, but a winner helps others succeed. I was struggling for months when I started and then a nice man guided me on what to do and I feel it is only right to pass on that kindness. My dream is to go to Texas A&M and become a large animal vet so I can provide quality care for livestock at an affordable price. Helping the farmers and ranchers means a lot to me because they are struggling to make ends meet but people do not realize that they are such a vital part of our lives.

After my Freshman year of raising and showing goats through FFA, I was approached by a family friend to help another student in need who wanted to try showing goats the following school year. This was not only helping her but allowing her to keep her goat at my house and use all my equipment as she came from a single-parent home and they did not have much. At first, I did not want to. I mean, I worked so hard my freshman year and had to learn everything on my own with no help, so why would I want to teach someone all I learned and they might end up doing better and winning shows over me? Not only that but I did not know this person what if they were rude and we did not get along as she is older than me? I just felt uneasy about it all. I thought about it for a while and then I knew that was the wrong mentality for a Christian. My family works hard and can provide me with the things I need to accomplish the thing I want to do so if I can help in any way I should. I spoke with my parents to see if they are willing to open their home to a stranger and as well as rebuild my goat pen to accommodate 2 goats. I knew it was a lot to ask since it would cost a few hundred dollars for the material but they stated as long as I was ok with it then they will do whatever is needed. I spent 2 weekends helping my parents rebuild my goat pen and building a covered shelf big enough to hold feed, hay and all the items needed for both of us to use. Once she moved in with her goat I spent 2 hours a day every teaching her how to groom, walk, brace and care for her goat. There were days when she could not make it to feed her goat in the mornings or on time in the evenings, so I helped and fed for her just to help her out. I cheered her on at shows and encouraged her when she felt defeated. Other kids that I did not even know ended up asking me for advice as they saw I helped her out so much and it was such an amazing feeling being able to have people asking for your advice and guidance. Unfortunately, winning meant more to her than anything and even though she was doing very well for her first year, better than I did in the beginning but it was not enough for her and she started becoming rude to me and stating I was not teaching her enough and decided to find somewhere else to take her goat. My family and I never asked for anything from her family and to do so much for someone who was not appreciative was a little deflating. But my mom stated I should not let that deter me from continuing to help others. So I continue to help through my church and animal shelter as much as I can because I learned I don't need validation to feel good. After all, the act alone brings so much joy to my heart.

I am a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School and I am working towards being a Large Animal Vet. I am on my school's Vet team and love it. I like traveling with the team to different competitions and of course winning. It is an amazing program to be a part of. Before I moved to my current school I was living in a not-so-nice area and never would have dreamed of being a Large Animal Vet. 3 and a half years ago, we moved to my dad's home area. In 8th grade, some kids from Oak Ridge High School's FFA team came to visit and I knew I wanted to do it. I enrolled in FFA and fell in love. I now show market goats through FFA and 4H. I would love to show steers but my dad says their poop is too big and doesn't want that in our yard. We have 3 acres but to him, that is not big enough for cows. I enjoy being a part of FFA and 4H as we do a lot of community service work with our local animal shelter and working with Meals on Wheels. Now that I am 16 I can volunteer with the shelters without FFA and 4H as much as I want. Well my mom has to come until I am 18 but she doesn't mind. My mom and my dad are very supportive of my goals. My mom goes to all my FFA and 4H meetings, she helps me with my goats and is always there to push me when I need it. I like sports as well but I had to give up softball as I could not play and show goats at the same time. I am also on my school's track and field team, however, I will not continue in my junior and senior years as I want to take more Animal Science classes as well as focus on my dual credit classes. I will also be running for Officer for FFA and that takes a lot of my extra time as well. When I get older and have my degree I would like to help farmers out with affordable vet care for their animals. As the price of everything keeps rising our farmers continue to struggle to make ends meet and large animal care is very expensive. Without farmers, we will not survive. I would also like to have land to have my own sanctuary for animals that are abused and neglected.