If I could change anything in the world, I would change how people treat what is important to them, and instead treat everything with respect. Every day, new stories come out exposing people’s greediness, and carelessness towards the things that matter most to them. For example, the way people treat each other, natural resources, animals, and the environment as a whole. These are just the tip of the iceberg for the lack of respect people have for the things important to them. If people would consider how much of an impact we have on each other, we would most likely be nicer to each other and have more compassion and empathy towards one another. We treat fellow humans poorly, not only with our actions but our words as well. The old childhood saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is completely untrue. Oftentimes, especially with the booming social media industry, words hurt more than actions. People cowardly huddle behind a phone to make fun of someone’s appearance, or to start an argument, and in the virtual COVID times, it only has gotten worse. We need to have a better understanding of one another, and treat others with the respect that they deserve, just as you and I deserve respect as human beings. Because if you don’t agree with someone at all, you should at least have respect for them as a human being, everyone deserves the bare minimum. Not only do people treat each other poorly, but they tend to treat all living things just as bad. As an animal lover, my blood boils when I hear that another puppy mill has been busted, or that the local dog fighting rink was stopped by the police. It angers me that people can have such little empathy for other living creatures. Animals don’t have a voice, and many take advantage of their inability to speak. People use animals for entertainment and abuse them if the animals aren’t performing to their standards. If people treated animals in a way of respect and compassion, animals wouldn’t be extorted, and animal abuse wouldn’t be nearly as big of a problem as it is in the modern world. People also treat nonliving things just as poorly. Treating the land and the environment, which some could argue is a living thing, with little respect causes harm, and in the end, is just going to harm us. Without the natural resources our power grid will fail, but if we abuse the oil reserves or carbon emissions our climate will fail. It is all a balancing act of how much to take, and how to use it properly. We can treat the natural resources with basic respect for the reserves, and in doing so, we will help take care of the environment. When people abuse the environment whether it is burning too much fossil fuels, or throwing trash into the rivers, it shows how little respect many have for the environment, and for the future generations to come. Respect is something that everything deserves the most in life, whether it is a living or inanimate object, everything should be treated with respect. Even though I discussed the low levels of humanity, I don’t hate it. I think humanity is beautiful. Humanity is capable of so many beautiful things. We just need to consciously decide as a species to treat the important things in life with more respect. Without respect, you can hardly have compassion or an understanding of anything. Without respect, how do you expect someone to respect you?

Ever since I was little, I have had an obsession with anything living. My obsession with animals and learning all I can has never ended, and it is just as strong as it was 10 years ago. I remember going to the Budweiser Stables in Merrimack, New Hampshire with my grandparents when I was 4 or 5, maybe even younger. The size and strength of the massive Clydesdales in their paddocks always amazed me; I would watch them with my jaw dropped. My grandparents are some of my biggest supporters. Every weekend I stayed with them, we went to a new animal attraction. We would go to petting zoos, horse stables, the aquarium, or wildlife demonstrations. My parents have been huge supporters too. My family has two dogs, a cat, and some chickens. I have a leopard gecko and 2 mice, and I have helped my neighbors with their horses for years. Caring for animals is what makes me happy, and learning about them intrigues me. I have been interested in learning everything about animals forever. I remember that when we got my puppy for my 8th birthday, she had her general check-up, and we had to bring in a stool sample. During one of her appointments, my mom mentioned to the veterinarian that I wanted to be a vet. He let me go back into the clinic and showed me under the microscope of all of the cells, and how they knew she didn’t have worms. Today, that very doctor that let me see the sample under the microscope is my boss. I started off at the veterinary hospital for an internship through school and it was the coolest experience in the world. I watched surgery for one day, and the very next day I was asking for a job. My curiosity has just grown stronger and stronger over the years. I already knew a bit about animals, specifically dogs as I previously worked at two different pet daycares. One of them boarded cats and dogs; the other boarded only dogs. For me, that was just the start of getting my foot in the door. With that experience, I was offered the job at the vet a few hours after my interview. Ever since that day, I have learned so much from the vet. Learning the process of diagnosis and treatment is fascinating, and further understanding animal behavior has helped me with my job greatly. The hours fly by when I work, learning about animals is so enjoyable it doesn't feel like work. I don’t necessarily believe in fate, and I think people have free will in what they do with their lives, but working with animals is what I am meant to do. I understand animals much better than I do humans, and there is just so much to learn about. You can never know everything about every animal in the world. There is always something to learn, which is why animals captivate me. I will spend the rest of my life working with animals if given the opportunity. I hope with this education I will successfully apply to vet school where I can continue my passion for animals. After I graduate from vet school, I hope to travel a little and do some non profit work, and help animals and communities that need it the most. Perhaps I could run a neuter clinic, or I could help out the wildlife that is endangered. All I know is that I will spend every waking hour I can helping animals.

Ever since I was little, I have had an obsession with anything living. My obsession with animals and learning all I can has never ended, and it is just as strong as it was 10 years ago. I remember going to the Budweiser Stables in Merrimack, New Hampshire with my grandparents when I was 4 or 5, maybe even younger. The size and strength of the massive Clydesdales in their paddocks always amazed me; I would watch them with my jaw dropped. My grandparents are some of my biggest supporters. Every weekend I stayed with them, we went to a new animal attraction. We would go to petting zoos, horse stables, the aquarium, or wildlife demonstrations. My parents have been huge supporters too. My family has two dogs, a cat, and some chickens. I have a leopard gecko and 2 mice, and I have helped my neighbors with their horses for years. Caring for animals is what makes me happy, and learning about them intrigues me. I have been interested in learning everything about animals forever. I remember that when we got my puppy for my 8th birthday, she had her general check-up, and we had to bring in a stool sample. During one of her appointments, my mom mentioned to the veterinarian that I wanted to be a vet. He let me go back into the clinic and showed me under the microscope of all of the cells, and how they knew she didn’t have worms. Today, that very doctor that let me see the sample under the microscope is my boss. I started off at the veterinary hospital for an internship through school and it was the coolest experience in the world. I watched surgery for one day, and the very next day I was asking for a job. My curiosity has just grown stronger and stronger over the years. I already knew a bit about animals, specifically dogs as I previously worked at two different pet daycares. One of them boarded cats and dogs; the other boarded only dogs. For me, that was just the start of getting my foot in the door. With that experience, I was offered the job at the vet a few hours after my interview. Ever since that day, I have learned so much from the vet. Learning the process of diagnosis and treatment is fascinating, and further understanding animal behavior has helped me with my job greatly. The hours fly by when I work, learning about animals is so enjoyable it doesn't feel like work. I don’t necessarily believe in fate, and I think people have free will in what they do with their lives, but working with animals is what I am meant to do. I understand animals much better than I do humans, and there is just so much to learn about. You can never know everything about every animal in the world. There is always something to learn, which is why animals captivate me. I will spend the rest of my life working with animals if given the opportunity. I hope with this education I will successfully apply to vet school where I can continue my passion for animals. After I graduate from vet school, I hope to travel a little and do some non profit work, and help animals and communities that need it the most. Perhaps I could run a neuter clinic, or I could help out the wildlife that is endangered. All I know is that I will spend every waking hour I can helping animals.

Hello! My name is Emily Fleegle. I just graduated high school and I am attending Virginia Tech this fall and I couldn't be happier. I am majoring in Animal and Poultry Science, with a pre-veterinary medicince concentration. One of the biggest influences in my life has always been animals. I have had pets my entire life, and my family has always supported my aspirations. Ever since I was little, I have had an obsession with anything living. I remember going to the Budweiser Stables in Merrimack, New Hampshire with my grandparents when I was 4 or 5, maybe even younger. The size and strength of the massive Clydesdales in their paddocks always amazed me; I would watch them with my jaw dropped. My grandparents are some of my biggest supporters. Every weekend I stayed with them, we went to a new animal attraction. We would go to petting zoos, horse stables, the aquarium, or wildlife demonstrations. My parents have been huge supporters too. My family has two dogs, a cat, and some chickens. I have a leopard gecko and 2 mice, and I have helped my neighbors with their horses for years. Caring for animals is what makes me happy, and learning about them intrigues me. I have been interested in learning everything about animals forever. I remember that when we got my puppy for my 8th birthday, she had her general check-up, and we had to bring in a stool sample. During one of her appointments, my mom mentioned to the veterinarian that I wanted to be a vet. He let me go back into the clinic and showed me under the microscope of all of the cells, and how they knew she didn’t have worms. Today, that very doctor that let me see the sample under the microscope is my boss, and I still want to follow in his foot-steps. I started off at the veterinary hospital for an internship through school and it was the coolest experience in the world. I watched surgery for one day, and the very next day I was asking for a job. Watching surgery for one day wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to learn more, see more, and do more. My curiosity for animals has just grown stronger and stronger over the years. I already knew a bit about animals, specifically dogs as I previously worked at two different pet daycares. One of them boarded cats and dogs; the other boarded only dogs. For me, that was just the start of getting my foot in the door. With that experience, I was offered the job at the vet a few hours after my interview. Ever since that day, I have learned so much from the vet. Learning the process of diagnosis and treatment is fascinating, and further understanding animal behavior has helped me with my job greatly. The hours fly by when I work, learning about animals is so enjoyable it doesn't feel like work. I don’t know why animals captivate me so much. I don’t necessarily believe in fate, and I think people have free will in what they do with their lives, but working with animals is what I am meant to do. I understand animals much better than I do humans, and there is just so much to learn about. I trust animals, and they calm me. It is a never-ending process of learning. You can never know everything about every animal in the world. There is always something to learn, which is why animals captivate me, and why they have shaped my aspirations in life so strongly.

Ever since I was little, I have had an obsession with anything living. My obsession with animals and learning all I can has never ended, and it is just as strong as it was 10 years ago. I remember going to the Budweiser Stables in Merrimack, New Hampshire with my grandparents when I was 4 or 5, maybe even younger. The size and strength of the massive Clydesdales in their paddocks always amazed me; I would watch them with my jaw dropped. My grandparents are some of my biggest supporters. Every weekend I stayed with them, we went to a new animal attraction. We would go to petting zoos, horse stables, the aquarium, or wildlife demonstrations. My parents have been huge supporters too. My family has two dogs, a cat, and some chickens. I have a leopard gecko and 2 mice, and I have helped my neighbors with their horses for years. Caring for animals is what makes me happy, and learning about them intrigues me. I have been interested in learning everything about animals forever. I remember that when we got my puppy for my 8th birthday, she had her general check-up, and we had to bring in a stool sample. During one of her appointments, my mom mentioned to the veterinarian that I wanted to be a vet. He let me go back into the clinic and showed me under the microscope of all of the cells, and how they knew she didn’t have worms. Today, that very doctor that let me see the sample under the microscope is my boss. I started off at the veterinary hospital for an internship through school and it was the coolest experience in the world. I watched surgery for one day, and the very next day I was asking for a job. Watching surgery for one day wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to learn more, see more, and do more. My curiosity has just grown stronger and stronger over the years. I don’t know why animals captivate me so much. I don’t necessarily believe in fate, and I think people have free will in what they do with their lives, but working with animals is what I am meant to do. I understand animals much better than I do humans, and there is just so much to learn about. I trust animals, and they calm me. It is a never-ending process of learning. You can never know everything about every animal in the world. There is always something to learn, which is why animals captivate me. I will spend the rest of my life working with animals if given the opportunity. I want to major in a science, such as biology, Pre-Veterinary Science or animal science. I hope with this education I will successfully apply to vet school where I can continue my passion for animals. After I graduate from vet school, I hope to travel a little and do some non profit work, and help animals and communities that need it the most. Perhaps I could run a neuter clinic, to prevent overbreeding in domestic animals like cats and dogs. Or I could help out the wildlife that is endangered by providing free veterinary care to those who need it the most. All I know is that I will spend every waking hour I can helping animals.