I am a disabled woman in STEM transferring from a community college to a university pursuing an Animal Science degree. I have endured discrimination and biased towards my presence in the classroom since childhood. The discrimination and bias towards my appearance are extremely amplified in the Animal Science field. As a woman with Cerebral Palsy, I am viewed as disposable. Women are viewed as the background workers and trophy wives. They are not to hold high positions and are taught to sit pretty. I choose to not obey the societal standards set before me, because well behaved women do not make history. I continue to make my presence known in and outside of the classroom. My disability does not define me. I am a disabled woman in STEM. I urge the world to accept all people of all appearances and abilities. I will pave the way for young women in STEM to have a safe and inclusive workspace. I want to show the world that disabled people are valuable members of society. The perceived stereotype for disabled people in society is adorable, inspirational beings that cannot care for themselves. We are viewed as a burden on our families and society. Because of these views there is little to no representation of people with disabilities in the workforce. Women with and without disabilities are not seen as equals to men in academia and the workforce. I have never been at peace with this narrative. I continue my education at the university level to change the narrative. Even though the odds of being a disabled female first generation student against me. As a first-generation student I have faced many challenges. Two big challenges I have faced are lack of knowledge and resources. Lack of knowledge and resources has contributed to my mental health suffering, time being consumed and exhausting all financial resources. When I first entered college, I lacked the knowledge of how to fill out a FAFSA, choose the correct classes or how to find resources on campus. This resulted in me choosing classes that were not fit for transfer and losing financial resources. Lack of financial resources has affected my access to classes and food sources. My family cannot help. I independently pay for all my college expenses and do struggle at times. Sadly, my story is common. The price of STEM education is inherently discriminatory. It is constructed to only be accessible to those with financial resources. My experience of being a disabled student is reflective of the biased infects the scientific community. I constantly fight for accommodations and to not be dismissed. I had female chemistry professor that refused my ADA accommodations for my Cerebral Palsy and other health conditions. She refused to let me test in the disabilities center, go to the restroom, or have extra time to do experiments in lab. The summer of 2021 I conducted research for the National Science Foundation. I met my Principal Investigator for the first time and that is when he dismissed me. After that meeting, I could not reach him. He did not give me my work schedule or assigned experiment. Instead of fulfilling his responsibilities of mentoring me through my experiment, he went on vacation. I do not let these negative experiences influence my decision to pursue a degree in STEM. Even though my college journey has been extremely difficult. I plan to continue my education at the university and professional level. I want to show young women that you can achieve your goals no matter your circumstances.

According to St. George University 75% of veterinarians work as companion animal veterinarians. Only 12,500 veterinarians out of 126,138 veterinarians in 2020 worked as large animal or mixed practiced veterinarians according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Large animal veterinarians play a vital role in protecting the health of both humans and animals by treating food and companion animals. There is an obvious lack of large animal veterinarians in our society. This negatively affects society because large animals are an intergyral part of society economically, socially, and environmentally. My local community has experienced the negative impact of the lack of large animal veterinarians firsthand by losing multiple head of cattle each year. I have observed this need and want to fill it. I want to make a positive impact by addressing a need in society. I believe becoming a large animal veterinarian will allow me to achieve this goal. I plan to treat all large farm animals such as horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, and goats. Another contributing factor that gives me the desire to pursue a career in large animal medicine is job security. There will likely be about 4,400 new job openings for veterinarians on average per year from 2020-2030, both as a result of increased demand and older veterinarians retiring according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I find comfort in pursuing a profession where I have a high likelihood of always being employed. Not only will this profession allow me to address a need and have job security, but it will also allow me to further expand my passions and curiosity related to large animals. I have been working with large animals since I was young. I used horseback riding, volunteering at a horse rescue and showing animals through 4-H and FFA as outlets to build my confidence and abilities. The passion of working with large animals has expanded in my college career. I have finished my Associates degree in Biology with the intention to pursue a Bachelor's in Animal Science and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. Furthermore, to explore some of my curiosity about large animal veterinary medicine, I have conducted scientific research related to veterinary medicine for the past two summers including Large Animal Nutrition and Large Animal Translational Medicine studies. Through these experiences I have built the confidence and knowledge to know that a career in veterinary medicine is what I need to pursue. Large animals have given me many beautiful experiences, and it is only right for me to give back to them.