My name is Jacob Moquin; I'm from Ludlow, Massachusetts and I will be attending Fordham University this upcoming fall for Biological Sciences and following the Pre-Veterinary track. The volunteer work I have done includes tutoring, raising awareness for different causes, acting as mentor for incoming freshmen, being a teacher’s assistant, and working at the dog shelter, Mutt Rescue Inc. My time at Mutt Rescue was by far my most impactful and perspective altering experience, and what I have chosen to tell in this essay. The work I completed as a volunteer for Mutt Rescue Inc. positively benefited more lives than I could anticipate. The initial day I volunteered, I accompanied an extremely frightened black Labrador named Max; for an hour, I sat in his kennel petting his head, squeaking a toy, and keeping him company. As I returned the following day, I saw a complete change in his personality. He ran up to me, licked my face, and played fetch with me in the yard. I played a part in helping Max grow acclimated to his new environment; which he would not get to grow accustomed to for long, as he was shortly adopted before I could see him for a third time. The personality I saw with Max was contrary to the violent natures I expected to see in the dogs, and what I also know many also perceive from shelter dogs. This affectionate and kind behavior was not exclusive to Max, I had seen it in nearly every single dog I had met while working at the shelter. It was rewarding to see how many people saw beyond the issues and trauma of these dogs, and brought them to their lives. These rescued dogs traveled hundreds of miles of way, in states with fully packed shelters in order to be given any chance of adoption. They wildly varied in breed and temperament, yet all would experience the same jolts of excitement once they left those doors. Fortunately, these dogs never had to wait long, as each weekend I volunteered there was a completely different cast of dogs awaiting adoption. Beyond myself, the dogs, and other volunteers; I also saw how much good came out of the shelter for those lucky enough to take these dogs home. Whether the new owner was old or young, an individual, a couple or a family, everyone I saw signing those adoption papers walked home with the biggest smiles on their faces. Prior to volunteering, I walked in holding many of misconceptions associated with shelter dogs, yet I walked out a changed person, seeing just how valuable my small role as volunteer was in changing numerous lives of dogs and their future owners for the better. I may not have had the pleasure to enjoy volunteering there for longer; however, my short stay at Mutt Rescue will forever remain an unforgettable and transformative experience for me, and certainly has cemented my desires to become a veterinarian; where I plan to help even more animals in a more hands-on way.

If I could have everyone from the entire world read one singular book, it would undoubtedly be Aldous Huxley's dystopian genre classic: Brave New World. Huxley depicts a very bleak future for society, with one united world order lacking any creativity, love, or individuality within its population. This horrific society has lab grown humans and an endless supply of drugs to please and puppet the general population. At first glance this alternate society may seem grossly unrealistic, as many other famous dystopian societies can or do feel; it quickly evolves, resembling many of the issues plaguing modern day society. Shown with the novel’s society being barren of individuality entirely; rather utilizing people as working parts in a greater machine. People are designated classes before birth, but unlike social or wealth status they are unable to be changed. Everyone is cloned, spliced, and introduced to chemicals in order to produce greater and lesser humans. People are incubated and traditional reproduction is forbidden to deny truly any relationship, beyond transactional. This much resembles the modern office or manufacturing jobs in which everyone is expendable and given a role lacking creative expression. Another resemblance is the dependence of “soma”, a pleasure providing drug. The supply of soma is constantly replenished so citizens of the order can be controlled. This is justified with the heavily indoctrinated mentality that everything in life should be pleasurable. This pleasure, whether in the form of extreme consumption, a high, or sexual; blinds citizens from realizing how greatly dehumanized they are. The emotion of love is key to the human experience, and is only able to be successfully prevented by making it ordinary to use a partner for sex and quickly dispose of them. This is not what actual love is, yet it is able to stay normalized with the instilled mindset that everything in life should be pleasurable. However this is also not a part of the true human experience that these citizens are being deprived of. Feelings of sadness, guilt, frustration, and other emotions are key to appreciate and remembering true moments of happiness. Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel is an important read for all, as every society shares similarities to the new world order. Through this novel, people may actually be awakened to their daily realities and prevent themselves from becoming further controlled by those who lead and puppet them.

Throughout my atypical high school experience, I can say with great confidence that one teacher greatly stands out in helping me grow both personally and academically: Mrs. Diana Sands. As my AP Biology teacher during my junior year, her helpfulness and guidance was welcomed during a challenging time in my life. My desire to become a marine biologist or a veterinarian waned, and I was unsure if I still wanted a career of working alongside animals at all. However, with Mrs. Sands’ encouragement, willingness to provide help and advice, and eagerness to make the class enjoyable led me to conclude that I wanted to become a veterinarian. Before my junior year of high school, I also struggled with confidence in my learning abilities, and I feared I would fall behind in higher level courses because of my sensory disorder, and be setting myself up for failure. Yet, since I was pretty sure I still wanted a career in Biology, I decided to take the AP course anyway. Within mere weeks of the school year beginning, I was immediately comforted; Mrs. Sands' passion for teaching, and upbeat, easy going demeanor eased the transition from socially distanced learning to my first “normal” year of high school. She was always there to help if I ever had any questions about the class material, and was reasonable throughout the year with deadlines, test dates, test corrections, and labs. By the end of the course I passed the exam; but more importantly, I can say I left with an expanded fascination and appreciation for biology, beyond plants and animals, and a greater confidence in my academic ability. Mrs Sands' aid extended beyond AP Biology, to my college application process as well. She wrote me one of my college recommendations, and later wrote another for my National Honor Society application. Whenever I would frequently pop in to seek out advice or give updates, I never felt unwelcome. She always gave me tips for my applications, and shed light on the realities of the process. One such reality was the possibility of not getting into my top colleges, which came to fruition. She kept reminding me that I could still transfer into a dream college of mine if it did not work out; and that I would certainly become a veterinarian either way. These encouraging words were much appreciated during my time of overwhelming frustration, stress, disappointment, and regret when I was rejected admittance by all five of my top schools. As I move on from high school, I will continue to keep her words with me as I enter the first year of eight year long journey to become a veterinarian. Throughout my time spent at Ludlow High School, Mrs. Sands made the greatest impact on my personal and academic journey; without her aid, passion for teaching, and encouragement, I could not say I would have handled higher level courses or college rejections as effectively.