I will pursue a career in the veterinary field to become a professional veterinarian, winning this scholarship would be tremendously helpful, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I want to study Veterinary Technology and animal health, however, the years required to achieve this would be very costly. I want to finish college and make my mother's sacrifices worth it because she's done so much for me since she first had me in her Junior year of high school. A lot of schooling and specific qualifications are needed to become a veterinarian, but it's what I've desired as a career since I was a child; I want to have the ability to take care of my mother once I complete my education and secure my career. I wish to make my mother proud and to pay her back for everything she has done for the last eighteen years of my life while continuing to pursue my dream. I was the daughter of a teen mom, with no knowledge of my biological father, with some black in me. The ones who inspire and impact me the most would be my mother and grandmother. My mother came from a poor household with four other siblings, and two parents who were still kids themselves. In her junior year of high school, at the age of seventeen, her childhood was cut short when she became an unexpected teen mother, taking care of me by herself until she met my father when I was three years old. Both my mother and grandmother had shorter childhoods than expected because of their new responsibilities as a mom. My mother takes a lot of attributes from my grandmother, as I do from her. My grandmother was born in 1969, became pregnant at fifteen, and became a mother at sixteen, she continued to have her fifth child at the age of 25. Both my mother and grandmother sacrificed so much in their lives to provide for the ones they loved. They ensured, no matter the situation, their households' were fed each night, and clothes were on their family's backs. My grandmother is slowly losing her ability to walk on her own due to the sacrifices made for her children. My mother took on the role of being there and caring for her until she moved to Pennsylvania with my Grandfather, where she is now. My mother has learned to make the same sacrifices as her mother did to support their family. Many times my mother had to be the breadwinner of the family when my father struggled to keep his job. Despite going through family mental and physical strife and loss. My mother pursued her college career and she eventually graduated in 2016. Both my mom and grandmother have inspired made me to look forward to being a mother and having a child of my own and to be okay with making sacrifices. Sleeping fewer hours to get enough money so I can buy what they want for Christmas or so they can do school sports. So they can enjoy a life better than mine had as my parents tried to do for me. My mother was able to do so much while having a child, while being a child herself, just like my grandmother. I am confident I'm able to do the same with any opportunity that comes my way.

I'd like to become a veterinarian, and winning this scholarship would be tremendously helpful, and I am grateful for the opportunity. During the summer of my Sophomore year of high school, I volunteered at the Mebane Pet Clinic. I shadowed and eventually achieved the role of a Kennel Technician/Assistant. Providing service from open to close every day they were in business that summer. I was very grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Veterinary professionals within their work environment. Workings hands-on with different domestic animals dogs, cats, and even a few reptiles gave me a lot of experience regarding animal handling and how to behave around the animals. I've been interested in caring for animals since a young age, I've helped my cat through her birthing of both litters with four kittens in each. I've incorporated the skills I've learned within the Pet Clinic environment into my current animals to ensure better behavior and health. My experiences at the clinic allowed me to understand the workplace, the employees treated me as if I was one of them. I was able to treat sickly animals, I saw and helped them be nursed back to health, learn different terminology and diagnosis of the animal patience, how to properly stock items, and interact with patients losing a pet or gaining new ones. The opportunity I had was like none other and I am looking forward to pursuing further education. I truly only want to become a veterinarian, however, the years required to achieve this would be very costly. I want to finish college and make my mother's sacrifices worth it because she's done so much for me since she first had me in her Junior year of high school. A lot of schooling and precise qualifications are needed to become a veterinarian, but it's what I've desired as a career since I was a child; I want to have the ability to take care of my mother once I complete my education and secure my career. I wish to make my mother proud and to pay her back for everything she has done for the last eighteen years of my life. My mother came from a poor household with four other siblings, and two parents who were still kids themselves. In her junior year of high school, at the age of seventeen, her childhood was cut short when she became an unexpected teen mother, taking care of me by herself until she met my father when I was three years old. Both my mother and grandmother had shorter childhoods than expected because of their new responsibilities as a mom. My mother takes a lot of attributes from my grandmother, as I do from her. My grandmother was born in 1969, became pregnant at fifteen, and became a mother at sixteen, she continued to have her fifth child at the age of 25. Both my mother and grandmother sacrificed so much to provide for the ones they loved. They ensured, no matter the situation, their households' were fed each night, and clothes were on their family's backs. Both my mom and grandmother have inspired made me to look forward to being a mother and having a child of my own and to be okay with making sacrifices. So they can enjoy a life better than mine had as my parents tried to do for me. My mother was able to do so much while having a child, while being a child herself, just like my grandmother. I am confident I'm able to do the same with any opportunity that comes my way.

During the summer of my Sophomore year of high school, I volunteered at the Mebane Pet Clinic, where I shadowed and eventually achieved the role of a Kennel Technician/Assistant. Providing service from open to close every day they were in business that summer. I was very grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Veterinary professionals within their work environment. Workings hands-on with different domestic animals dogs, cats, and even a few reptiles gave me a lot of experience when it came to animal handling and how to behave around the animals. I learned how the employees reacted and dealt with stressful situations for the animals and the staff. I've been interested in taking care of animals since a young age, I've helped my cat through her birthing of both litters with four kittens in each. I have incorporated the skills I've learned within the Pet Clinic environment into my current animals to ensure better behavior and health down the road. I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to experience the workplace in a Pet Clinic. Having the opportunity to go through serious or chipper moments in the workplace was a joy and skill. My experiences at the clinic allowed me to understand the workplace, the employees treated me as if I was one of them. I was able to treat sickly animals, I saw and helped them be nursed back to health, learn different terminology and diagnosis of the animal patience, how to properly stock items, and interact with patients losing a pet or with new ones. The opportunity I had was like none other and I am looking forward to pursuing an education, so I can use what I experienced in my work life. I will pursue a career in the veterinary field to become a professional veterinarian, winning this scholarship would be tremendously helpful, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I want to study Veterinary Technology and animal health, however, the years required to achieve this would be very costly. I want to finish college and make my mother's sacrifices worth it because she's done so much for me since she first had me in her Junior year of high school. A lot of schooling and specific qualifications are needed to become a veterinarian, but it's what I've desired as a career since I was a child; I want to have the ability to take care of my mother once I complete my education and secure my career. I wish to make my mother proud and to pay her back for everything she has done for the last eighteen years of my life while continuing to pursue my dream.

My mother came from a poor household with four other siblings, and two parents who were still kids themselves. In her junior year of high school, at the age of seventeen, her childhood was cut short when she became an unexpected teen mother, taking care of me by herself until she met my father when I was three years old. Both my mother and grandmother had shorter childhoods than expected because of their new responsibilities as a mom. My mother takes a lot of attributes from my grandmother, as I do from her. My grandmother was born in 1969, became pregnant at fifteen, and became a mother at sixteen, she continued to have her fifth child at the age of 25. Both my mother and grandmother sacrificed so much in their lives to provide for the ones they loved. They ensured, no matter the situation, their households' were fed each night, and clothes were on their family's backs. My grandmother is slowly losing her ability to walk on her own due to the sacrifices made for her children. My mother took on the role of being there and caring for her until she moved to Pennsylvania with my Grandfather, where she is now. My mother has learned to make the same sacrifices as her mother did to support their family. Many times my mother had to be the breadwinner of the family when my father struggled to keep his job. Despite going through family mental and physical strife and loss. My mother pursued her college career and she eventually graduated in 2016. Both my mom and grandmother have inspired made me to look forward to being a mother and having a child of my own and to be okay with making sacrifices. Sleeping fewer hours to get enough money so I can buy what they want for Christmas or so they can do school sports. So they can enjoy a life better than mine had as my parents tried to do for me. My mother was able to do so much while having a child, while being a child herself, just like my grandmother. I am confident I'm able to do the same with any opportunity that comes my way. During COVID-19 my family life became very stressful, uncomfortable, and felt at times unsafe. It escalated to the point of trauma triggers that result in hard-to-manage panics. I developed depression, anxiety, and trauma from harsh school to intense family situations. I was in a weakened state of mind where I felt like doing nothing as if I was trapped in a non-stop cycle with every day being the same. It was a rough period for many my age, a brutish year for the world. I was lucky enough to have a school that allowed few students to come back with many health precautions within classrooms. It allowed me to feel better as I got to see my classmates and a few friends. I was able to create long-lasting relationships to help soothe my depression and anxiety. I will never be able to get over my trauma triggers, as they still happen, but it is easier to put my dark thoughts at bay because of my relationships. Watching my mother overcome her difficulties as I overcome mine, is inspiring. After going through what felt like agony, I'm very hopeful and happy for my future and where I'm going.

The pandemic of COVID-19 effectors everyone greatly, in the working and education world. Quarantine and the constant distasteful news reported affected both my mental and physical health, along with my family’s. The constant feeling of hostility and stressors in the household were never-ending. I felt as if my grades were plummeting at the same rate as my health as I rotted away in my desolate room with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. My mother had this saying “Closed mouth don’t get fed”, which I struggled to reach out to others throughout most of my life. I am a quiet person who cares about others over myself. This is still true today, but I have learned to be a little more selfish while still caring for others. As the pandemic continued I went to therapy and the counselor helped me understand my need to reach out and connect. I began talking to the few people I knew and slightly opened up to my family about the issues I was going through. I am different than I once was, and though it is hard to see clearly, I have changed.