Instead of dolls and a vanity set, as a kid, I lined my bed with stuffed animals and made my room into an animal checkup clinic. Caring for animals has been my passion, even from the beginning. I imagine a future in which my office feels like home, surrounded by the smell of hay and the sound of cantering hooves. I foresee an environment that stretches my mind and where every day is unique with new pony faces. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I plan to apply for a veterinary medicine graduate program to further my studies for this specific career field. I believe that animals are vital for companionship, emotional support, assistance, work, and so much more, which is why I desire to advocate and care for them. I want to uphold and promote the importance and benefits of the Equine Industry for both humans and horses, such as equine reproduction, equine assisted therapy, equine rescue, and rehabilitation centers. When I felt alone as a teenager, struggling with body image and anorexia, I rarely wanted to hang out with my friends, but Nike, a chestnut gelding with bright blue eyes, was always there. I never felt like he judged me or cared about how I looked; he was just my lesson horse, and he meant the world to me. Nike was timid and easily spooked. We related to each other, and our bond and trust was strong. His nerves and anxiety made him a difficult ride, but I trained him in equestrian skills and to trust people. What I didn’t realize was that he was shaping me into the person I am today. Eventually, I could open myself up to people like I did with Nike, and they wouldn’t judge me. They loved me. I just had to give them a chance. Today, I can seek friendships and make connections successfully and fully. My personal character growth began with a horse. Since I will be responsible for the majority of the cost of my higher education, this scholarship will be essential in achieving my dreams of managing my own equine veterinarian clinic or surgery center. In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of shadowing at Royal Vista Ranch, observing stallion collections, mare palpitations, and embryo transfers, but my most memorable moment was assisting in a foal delivery! This opportunity developed a passion for the Equine Reproductive Industry! I have had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Connie Finley while she performed an oophorectomy for a mare to become a tease mare and observed her place pins in a foal's forearms so that his bones could align correctly. Spending time in that operating room gave me such a thrill and sent my dream aflame to be the surgeon holding the tools. My passion is steadfast, paving the path for my future where I deliver fillies and colts. I could save a rescue draft horse hit by a car or perform abdominal exploratory surgery on a Shetland pony. Graduating from toys to surgical tools, this scholarship will turn my childhood dreams into reality.

Instead of dolls and a vanity set, as a kid, I lined my bed with stuffed animals and made my room into an animal checkup clinic. Caring for animals has been my passion, even from the beginning. I imagine a future in which my office feels like home, surrounded by the smell of hay and the sound of cantering hooves. I foresee an environment that stretches my mind and where every day is unique with new pony faces. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I plan to apply for a veterinary medicine graduate program to further my studies for this specific career field. I believe that animals are vital for companionship, emotional support, assistance, work, and so much more, which is why I desire to advocate and care for them. I want to uphold and promote the importance and benefits of the Equine Industry for both humans and horses, such as equine reproduction, equine assisted therapy, equine rescue, and rehabilitation centers. When I felt alone as a teenager, struggling with body image and anorexia, I rarely wanted to hang out with my friends, but Nike, a chestnut gelding with bright blue eyes, was always there. I never felt like he judged me or cared about how I looked; he was just my lesson horse, and he meant the world to me. Nike was timid and easily spooked. We related to each other, and our bond and trust was strong. His nerves and anxiety made him a difficult ride, but I trained him in equestrian skills and to trust people. What I didn’t realize was that he was shaping me into the person I am today. Eventually, I could open myself up to people like I did with Nike, and they wouldn’t judge me. They loved me. I just had to give them a chance. Today, I can seek friendships and make connections successfully and fully. My personal character growth began with a horse. Since I will be responsible for the majority of the cost of my higher education, this scholarship will be essential in achieving my dreams of managing my own equine veterinarian clinic or surgery center. In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of shadowing at Royal Vista Ranch, observing stallion collections, mare palpitations, and embryo transfers, but my most memorable moment was assisting in a foal delivery! This opportunity developed a passion for the Equine Reproductive Industry! I have had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Connie Finley while she performed an oophorectomy for a mare to become a tease mare and observed her place pins in a foal's forearms so that his bones could align correctly. Spending time in that operating room gave me such a thrill and sent my dream aflame to be the surgeon holding the tools. My passion is steadfast, paving the path for my future where I deliver fillies and colts. I could save a rescue draft horse hit by a car or perform abdominal exploratory surgery on a Shetland pony. Graduating from toys to surgical tools, this scholarship will turn my childhood dreams into reality.

Instead of dolls and a vanity set, as a kid, I lined my bed with stuffed animals and made my room into an animal checkup clinic. Caring for animals has been my passion, even from the beginning. I imagine a future in which my office feels like home, surrounded by the smell of hay and the sound of cantering hooves. I foresee an environment that stretches my mind and where every day is unique with new pony faces. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I plan to apply for a veterinary medicine graduate program to further my studies for this specific career field. I believe that animals are vital for companionship, emotional support, assistance, work, and so much more, which is why I desire to advocate and care for them. I want to uphold and promote the importance and benefits of the Equine Industry for both humans and horses, such as equine reproduction, equine assisted therapy, equine rescue, and rehabilitation centers. When I felt alone as a teenager, struggling with body image and anorexia, I rarely wanted to hang out with my friends, but Nike, a chestnut gelding with bright blue eyes, was always there. I never felt like he judged me or cared about how I looked; he was just my lesson horse, and he meant the world to me. Nike was timid and easily spooked. We related to each other, and our bond and trust was strong. His nerves and anxiety made him a difficult ride, but I trained him in equestrian skills and to trust people. What I didn’t realize was that he was shaping me into the person I am today. Eventually, I could open myself up to people like I did with Nike, and they wouldn’t judge me. They loved me. I just had to give them a chance. Today, I can seek friendships and make connections successfully and fully. My personal character growth began with a horse. Since I will be responsible for the majority of the cost of my higher education, this scholarship will be essential in achieving my dreams of managing my own equine veterinarian clinic or surgery center. In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of shadowing at Royal Vista Ranch, observing stallion collections, mare palpitations, and embryo transfers, but my most memorable moment was assisting in a foal delivery! This opportunity developed a passion for the Equine Reproductive Industry! I have had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Connie Finley while she performed an oophorectomy for a mare to become a tease mare and observed her place pins in a foal's forearms so that his bones could align correctly. Spending time in that operating room gave me such a thrill and sent my dream aflame to be the surgeon holding the tools. My passion is steadfast, paving the path for my future where I deliver fillies and colts. I could save a rescue draft horse hit by a car or perform abdominal exploratory surgery on a Shetland pony. Graduating from toys to surgical tools, this scholarship will turn my childhood dreams into reality.

Instead of dolls and a vanity set, as a kid, I lined my bed with stuffed animals and made my room into an animal checkup clinic. Caring for animals has been my passion, even from the beginning. I imagine a future in which my office feels like home, surrounded by the smell of hay and the sound of cantering hooves. I foresee an environment that stretches my mind and where every day is unique with new pony faces. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I plan to apply for a veterinary medicine graduate program to further my studies for this specific career field. I believe that animals are vital for companionship, emotional support, assistance, work, and so much more, which is why I desire to advocate and care for them. I want to uphold and promote the importance and benefits of the Equine Industry for both humans and horses, such as equine reproduction, equine assisted therapy, equine rescue, and rehabilitation centers. When I felt alone as a teenager, struggling with body image and anorexia, I rarely wanted to hang out with my friends, but Nike, a chestnut gelding with bright blue eyes, was always there. I never felt like he judged me or cared about how I looked; he was just my lesson horse, and he meant the world to me. Nike was timid and easily spooked. We related to each other, and our bond and trust was strong. His nerves and anxiety made him a difficult ride, but I trained him in equestrian skills and to trust people. What I didn’t realize was that he was shaping me into the person I am today. Eventually, I could open myself up to people like I did with Nike, and they wouldn’t judge me. They loved me. I just had to give them a chance. Today, I can seek friendships and make connections successfully and fully. My personal character growth began with a horse. Since I will be responsible for the majority of the cost of my higher education, this scholarship will be essential in achieving my dreams of managing my own equine veterinarian clinic or surgery center. In the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of shadowing at Royal Vista Ranch, observing stallion collections, mare palpitations, and embryo transfers, but my most memorable moment was assisting in a foal delivery! This opportunity developed a passion for the Equine Reproductive Industry! I have had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Connie Finley while she performed an oophorectomy for a mare to become a tease mare and observed her place pins in a foal's forearms so that his bones could align correctly. Spending time in that operating room gave me such a thrill and sent my dream aflame to be the surgeon holding the tools. My passion is steadfast, paving the path for my future where I deliver fillies and colts. I could save a rescue draft horse hit by a car or perform abdominal exploratory surgery on a Shetland pony. Graduating from toys to surgical tools, this scholarship will turn my childhood dreams into reality.

Chosen Book: Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis Does C.S. Lewis' writing equip us to better detect Satan's deceptions? Have you ever felt like somebody was whispering in your ear, tempting you or encouraging you? There actually might be. C.S. Lewis depicted this in his novel, The Screwtape Letters, published in 1942. Using letters, the upper-class demon, Screwtape, advises his nephew, Wormwood, an inexperienced demon, on how to best tempt a British man, called only “the patient.” This man, who has recently accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, endures temptations, deceptions, and hardships from these vile demons. When the patient dies during a German air raid in World War II, his soul in taken to Heaven, and Wormwood has failed. We can all agree that C.S. Lewis presented the fact that there is spiritual warfare, angels, and demons. While some believe C.S. Lewis’s style of writing better equips us to recognize Satan’s subtle deceptions, others stand firm that the novel makes them sympathetic to Screwtape and Wormwood. C.S. Lewis’s style of writing better equips us to recognize Satan’s subtle deceptions for three reasons. These reasons include that it is relatable because of the real-world examples, using fiction rather than a sermon allows the reader to understand the spiritual warfare currently taking place around us, and it helps us enter the mindset of the enemy and his mode of operations. The author’s style of writing prepares us to recognize Satan’s motifs, because it is relatable, since C.S. Lewis presents real-world examples. We all struggle with sin and sinful desires. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” C.S. Lewis created the imagery of this verse through his text. The patient goes through everyday life milestones, such as figuring out his spiritual life, making friends, finding a spouse, and a national crisis. He works in discovering his role in society and his identity in Christ. In chapter 16, Lewis illustrates how Satan wants us to church hop and never grow roots. It is through long relationships that iron sharpens iron. “It is far better to make them live in the future… Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” (C.S. Lewis, 76) Chapter 15 describes how Satan wants us to thrive in the distraction of the future rather than living for today as God commanded. The patient’s everyday milestones are a mirror image to the reader’s own life, therefore making the novel relatable and easy to follow. C.S. Lewis’s style of writing better equips us to recognize Satan’s subtle deceptions, because using fiction rather than a sermon allows the reader to understand the spiritual warfare going on around us. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12. C.S. Lewis displays how Satan’s followers help distract, torture, and divert Christians off the righteous path. Proverbs 12:28 says, “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway, there is no death.” Twisting the Bible, the demons know the word of God, and try with all their power to confuse and obscure believers in their understanding. The patient experiences these temptations to veer off the path by Wormwood, but he overcame these cruel enticements by faith. Wormwood tried to twist the patient’s prayers and make him think that prayer is ineffectual. The author’s writing clearly and plainly expresses Satan’s falsehood, and cautions us against falling for his lies. C.S. Lewis’s style of writing better prepares us to perceive Satan’s cunning trickery, because it helps us enter into the mindset of the enemy and his mode of operations. “It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” (C.S. Lewis, 60-61) Chapter 12 illustrates how the tactics of the enemy are slow and steady. Wormwood methodically strives for “death by a thousand cuts” and making the patient’s life long and miserable. This prepares and makes us aware of Satan’s mode of operations, and how his subtle moves can easily divert us from the path of truth. Others, however, stand firm that the novel makes them sympathetic to Screwtape and Wormwood. They claim that Wormwood was threatened and mistreated by his own uncle. Screwtape was verbally abusive. His hateful, cutting, and harsh criticism toward Wormwood makes some concerned about his well-being. However, Satan is absolutely merciless, relentless, and ruthless. Self-absorbed and egotistical, Satan exalts himself over all others, and cares about no one but himself. C.S. Lewis illustrates this at the end of his book, when Wormwood has failed to send the patient to Hell. Screwtape, demonically, is excited to eat his own nephew because of his failure, and move on with his evil life. This describes how empty and cruel Hell and Satan are. C.S. Lewis’s style of writing better equips us to recognize Satan’s subtle deceptions, because it is relatable, using fiction rather than a sermon allows the reader to understand the spiritual warfare currently taking place around us, and it helps us enter the mindset of the enemy and his mode of operations. This matters to the readers of this novel, because it portrays that we must be careful when we hear someone whispering in our ear, and to be aware of who we are listening to.

I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood in Oklahoma City with my younger sister and brother. As a firstborn, my determination was evident from an early age. During my freshman year of high school, I began to be overly concerned about my physical appearance and image. I began "forgetting" my lunch, skipping meals, working out, and going to bed hungry. There was a Screwtape-type voice in my head making me feel like I was never skinny enough, doing enough, or trying hard enough. As my body began to show signs of starvation- always cold, dangerously underweight, low blood pressure, brittle hair, lethargy, and constant fatigue- my parents stepped in and took me to the doctor. For this, I am forever grateful. I knew I wanted help, and I knew I wanted to feel better, but I didn't know how to help myself. I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa during my sophomore year of high school. Understanding how anorexia had decimated my health and threatened my future gave me a kickstart to begin viewing my body and image in a more healthy and God-honoring manner. With a team of providers including my compassionate doctor, my outstanding nutrionist, and my patient counselor, my mind began to heal. I am thrilled to say that my mental health has now improved and I am thriving, and my physical health has followed suit. I am determined now to help other girls see themselves in a more positive manner and also to remove the stigma surrounding eating disorders. Speaking openly & honestly to other women about my story is a part of my healing process. Prioritizing my mental health and being a positive, optimistic person about my own body has been the key to staying on the path to pursue my academic dreams of graduating from Oklahoma State University Veterinarian School.