Every time I would mention to my tia or abuelita that I wanted to be a veterinarian, they would sigh and recommend something "more attainable". As a child of two immigrants, I have struggled with finances, and the "best" option from my family, in terms of career, was to be a blue-collar worker, or marry rich. My father is from Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, and my mother is from São Paulo, Brazil. I will never truly know my parents' sacrifices, trauma, or experiences to get to the United States, but all I know is that they had a dream and fulfilled it by moving here. If they can dream big and attain it, so can I. My dream is to become a veterinarian for low-income families and have a practice in my name. I worked as an intern at a veterinary hospital, and was interested in knowing the stories behind the veterinarians I worked for, and how they got to the place that I dream of being in. I asked the veterinarians what they did, and to my surprise, they had all nearly the same response. Their parents had paid for their entire education including graduate school. This had put me in a really bad mindset, not knowing if I could pursue the future that I wanted because my immigrant family could not afford to do it. My inner thoughts were killing me. Would I end up working as a truck driver like my father? How about being stuck in a minimum wage position as a cashier at a grocery store like my mother? I had seen my future crumble right before my eyes. I was number 4 in my graduating class out of almost 300 people and worked so hard in high school, but that felt like the end of my education. I cannot afford higher education. I was defeated. I worked three jobs, went to school, earned my certification in veterinary assisting, and completed my associates at a community college all during high school. This could not be the end of my hard work. I sat down with my parents with tears showing them the acceptances to the colleges I applied to using fee waivers and how it would be my dream to pursue my education. After many heated arguments and compromises, my mother agreed to cosign my loan as long as I found a job at the university. I did just that. My dream of becoming a veterinarian looked like it was finally beginning instead of being put on an eternal hold. I was, and still am eternally grateful to my mother for doing that for me. I just finished my first year of university as an animal biology major and loved it. I did struggle in the beginning trying to fit in, as well as finding a job, making friends, and studying, but I ended up adapting to the culture. I joined the pre-veterinary club and a club called Block and Bridle where I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to show swine at a livestock show. I have listened to veterinarians as guest speakers in my clubs and animal-related courses, and have had hands-on experience with animals I haven't been close to before. My education is the foundation for making my dream a reality. No amount of money comes close to the experiences I have gained in university, and it will not be close to when I achieve my dream of being a veterinarian for low-income communities.

The emotional turmoil of seeing a patient cross the rainbow bridge for the first time took a toll on me as a 17-year-old intern at a veterinary hospital. The patient wasn't just another number on a chart, but they were a friend, a part of the family to the client, and a joy to keep seeing at the hospital. That connection between veterinary staff and patients is a bond that is not attainable in human medicine, therefore, I believe that veterinary medicine is the right path of study for me. Since dogs and cats have a shorter lifespan than humans, working in a veterinary office allows workers to experience the majority, if not, all of the animal's life. I have been there for pregnancy checks on mother dogs and later checkups for their litter of beautiful puppies. I have been there to shadow a life-saving surgery as well as help the patient recover. I have been there to say one last goodbye to the animals I have bonded with for a year. I have signed cards for grieving pet parents. My experiences as just an intern made me realize that being an empath and veterinary medicine go hand in hand. In my senior year of high school, I solidified my choice and chose my major for college. I am now on to my second year in university as an animal science major with a specialization in animal biology on the pre-veterinary track. I have now had opportunities to have experiences with a larger variety of animals such as horses, bovine, ovine, and swine. I have had veterinarians come into my animal science courses as guest speakers, and I even joined the pre-veterinary club. My education is building the foundation of a prosperous and fulfilling life in veterinary medicine. I not only want to continue working with animals for the rest of my life, but I want to be as involved in research and helping pets thrive, therefore, allowing pet parents, like myself, to be more comfortable with having animals. After working at a veterinary hospital, I realized that pet care is not as accessible or affordable for the majority of citizens. My career goal is to be able to provide veterinary care for low-income communities so that having a pet is not limited to those with a higher income bracket. I believe that everyone should be able to experience love, companionship, and a human-animal bond with a pet.

An emergency patient rolled in on the gurney and normal people would have a sense of panic wash across them, but what I felt was completely different. I had felt ready to learn what to do in a state of emergency and ready to do what was needed of me to make sure that small dog survived. Before even learning what happened to the poor dog, the amazing team of veterinary technicians had rushed to grab everything needed to revive this dog. I asked if there was anything I could do to help and to my surprise they said yes and allowed me to help in holding the patient so that they could shave the wound areas. I watched and then the veterinarian came up to me and asked me and another technician to flip the dog to focus on and clean up the wounds on the other side of the body. I was excited to be included and helped flip the body in a swift movement. Me and the technician were following the doctor’s orders and were watching this dog who had been attacked by a neighbor’s dog and had large wounds on both sides of the body for the rest of the day. This flea ridden dog was in a lot of pain and was crying and bleeding out. After a while of cleaning wounds, putting a heating pad on, checking the temperature, checking SPO2, and taking care of the fleas, it made me realize the passion I have for caring for animals and helping the veterinarian. Based on this experience, it solidified my desire to be a veterinary assistant because I like to help animals, be a part of a team, and gain experience to be a veterinarian myself. A couple weeks later I had asked one of the technicians on an update on the dog and they had told me that miraculously, and with our help, the dog had survived!! The wash of relief on my face made me sure that helping animals was definitely my calling and I enjoyed every minute of it. I also learned that day, the importance of team work and that working together gets things done way faster based on communication. I ended up loving the team of technicians and veterinarians that I was an intern for and they truly showed me how proper teamwork and communication looks like. I then came to the conclusion that I love being part of a team, especially if we aid in saving animals’ lives. Not only did I love the teamwork aspect of that experience, but I saw the opportunities for learning with being a veterinary assistant. My one main goal in life is to become a veterinarian and by being a veterinary assistant I will have gained knowledge, experience, and a stronger relationship with the field of veterinary medicine. Overall, I have decided to become a veterinary assistant because it makes me feel whole inside. This job makes my heart glow knowing I am saving animals, working in a part of a successful team, and learning what to do to aid in my future goal of being a veterinarian myself.