Throughout my life I was always recognized as a smart girl, a nerd, by everyone. Teachers would say that they knew I’d grow up to be someone inspiring that was going to change the world. As I grew up, I only ever received A's through elementary and middle school, hoping that I would go on to save lives. I lived the same life, boring, and repetitive; I longed for something different, for a change. That's when I got the opportunity to move in with my Aunt Lydia, living in Chicago. I knew that this was the perfect decision to be able to become successful. I moved in with my Aunt at the end of my 8th grade year so I could start my high school experience fresh. My freshman year went as I expected and I finished the year with honors distinction. However, at the beginning of my sophomore year, everything was different. Coping from the recent diagnosis of my Aunt, Lina, having stage four cancer, I started to get less motivated. Instead of spending my time studying with the passion to learn, I wasn't able to remain focused for more than a few minutes. I was slowly becoming the person I didn't want to be. With the constant expectation to be the top student by my Aunt, I started feeling that maybe I wasn't needed. I wasn't the perfect smart girl everything thought I was, and that disappointed me. My Aunt became verbally abusive towards me, calling me names if I wasn't exactly who she wanted me to be. She would take my phone and lock me in my room, with just my Ipad so that I would do my work, only letting me leave when I was done. It was difficult to live like this everyday, especially when all I wanted was to rest. She would punish my bad grades by making me take the bus and train to school, which would almost take two hours, in the harsh winter. This is when I decided I couldn't take more. On December 19th, I tried to take my own life. Dealing with my Aunt for months on end, I realized nothing was going to change. I was rushed to the hospital around 9:00 p.m. by my Aunt and Uncle. Falling in and out of consciousness, I was terrified for what was going to happen next. I was rushed into a special room for people like me. I was put into an all white room with nothing but a plain white bed. I've always had a fear of needles and so when the nurses came in to put an IV into my arm, I started to freak out. My Aunt, being in the room, started to yell at me. Yelling at me that she wished that she never asked me to move in with her, that I was dumb, and that I'd never be anything good. Nurses came in and out of the room for the next few hours, watching over me, wanting to know why. Why would a perfect smart girl try to take my own life at the age of 15? Eventually, I was put in a facility to help me overcome my depression and I was able to recover. To this day, I still live with the fear that I might never be anything, but I now live with supportive grandparents that make me feel worthy of life, and worthy to have been given a second chance.

As a young child, I experienced the feelings of abandonment. I had a mother and a father that were young and careless; raising two daughters. Me and my sister, Alison, took care of eachother. My mother would’ve preferred to drink and get high than to care for us. My father would’ve preferred to go out and cheat on my mother with various women. The feeling of abandonment carries with me to wherever I go and to whoever I talk to. Growing up, I was in numerous police cars, always being taken to my grandparents whenever my mother and father got caught. Soon after, both my Mom and Dad went to prison when I was around 7. At that time, I moved into my grandparents house to be raised by them. They took care of me and my sister; they gave us everything that my parents failed to provide. This constant fear of abandonment really affected my relationships with peers. I am always scared to trust people on whether or not they’ll leave me, and I always have a reminder that I cannot trust what people say. To this day I am still working on this. This fear and indifference in my life has made me have a strong passion towards animals. I live in a rough neighborhood where there are a lot of stray cats and dogs, with no one to look after them. I feel strongly toward them due to the fact that I understand how they are feeling. Abandoned. Alone. Scared. These are the same feelings that I grew up with, hoping that someone would save me. Animals and the love they are able to give even with all of the hardships they face, make me realize that I’m not alone. Small pet-like animals, such as cats and dogs, are helpless creatures that mainly depend on humans for survival. They depend on shelter, food, and healthcare from humans to develop. Some humans can be cruel and can torment and abuse these animals, and they have no way of getting out of it. Reasons such as these are the reasons why I want to pursue a career in animal science and become a veterinarian. Helping animals has always been my passion and I want to continue to help animals as I wished someone had helped me. Recently, my sister and I rescued six kittens from our backyard whose mother had tragically passed away due to fleas and parasites. To be honest, it is a hassle having to bottle feed six tiny two-week old kittens every few hours while also having to maintain school and work, however, I manage to make it work so I can help these innocent animals.

As a young child, I experienced the feelings of abandonment. I had a mother and a father that were young and careless; raising two daughters. Me and my sister, Alison, took care of eachother. My mother would’ve preferred to drink and get high than to care for us. My father would’ve preferred to go out and cheat on my mother with various women. The feeling of abandonment carries with me to wherever I go and to whoever I talk to. Growing up, I was in numerous police cars, always being taken to my grandparents whenever my mother and father got caught. Soon after, both my Mom and Dad went to prison when I was around 7. At that time, I moved into my grandparents house to be raised by them. They took care of me and my sister; they gave us everything that my parents failed to provide. This constant fear of abandonment really affected my relationships with peers. I am always scared to trust people on whether or not they’ll leave me, and I always have a reminder that I cannot trust what people say. To this day I am still working on this. This fear and indifference in my life has made me have a strong passion towards animals. I live in a rough neighborhood where there are a lot of stray cats and dogs, with no one to look after them. I feel strongly toward them due to the fact that I understand how they are feeling. Abandoned. Alone. Scared. These are the same feelings that I grew up with, hoping that someone would save me. Animals and the love they are able to give even with all of the hardships they face, make me realize that I’m not alone. Small pet-like animals, such as cats and dogs, are helpless creatures that mainly depend on humans for survival. They depend on shelter, food, and healthcare from humans to develop. Some humans can be cruel and can torment and abuse these animals, and they have no way of getting out of it. Reasons such as these are the reasons why I want to pursue a career in animal science and become a veterinarian. Helping animals has always been my passion and I want to continue to help animals as I wished someone had helped me. Recently, my sister and I rescued six kittens from our backyard whose mother had tragically passed away due to fleas and parasites. To be honest, it is a hassle having to bottle feed six tiny two-week old kittens every few hours while also having to maintain school and work, however, I manage to make it work so I can help these innocent animals.