​My Grandmother and grandfather, who were my legal guardians, and I were very close. My grandmother considered me her retirement gift because I was born on the day she retired from her job. My biological mom and dad lost custody of me because they could not take care of me properly. This happened when I was two years old. I lost my grandfather when I was only eight years old, and my grandmother tried her best to make me smile during our time of grief. She was my best friend, and I loved her dearly. We did everything together, we watched movies, played games, and went to the park. My grandmother ended up passing away in January of 2023, when I was 2 months away from being sixteen. After her passing, I was placed into foster care, since I did not have any other family members to take care of me. The first foster home I was put in was very abusive towards me. Both my foster mom and dad would drink and yell at me constantly. Thankfully, I was removed from their care and placed with my second, and last, foster home. At my new foster home placement, I met my new foster mom and her two dogs, Koda and Alfred. I quickly got attached to all three of them. It wasn’t long before I started calling her “Mom”. I aged out of foster care at the age of eighteen, and my mom refused to let me get an apartment while still in high school. She told me that I could stay with her until I went to live on a college campus. When I told my mom about wanting to be a veterinarian, she immediately looked up the requirements that an applicant must meet before applying to vet school. When we found out that an applicant must have many volunteer hours with different types of animals, my Mom helped me find places that would allow me to volunteer. With my Mom’s help, I started volunteering with rabbits, horses, and dogs. At the Georgia Rabbit House Society, my job was to clean out the rabbits’ enclosures, give them water, and clean out their litterboxes. When at the Chastain Horse Park, my job was to assist riders who were doing a therapeutic riding session, to make sure they didn’t fall off the horses’ backs. My job at Mostly Mutts, a no-kill shelter, was to feed the dogs and take them on walks. I also started volunteering at my local library with my certified therapy dog, Koda. On each visit, our job is to help the kids become more confident in their reading skills in a judgment-free zone. My job is to help the kids whenever they get stuck, and Koda’s job is to be emotional support. Throughout my volunteer work, I have had a stable job. I worked at a dog daycare and boarding facility for over a year before landing a position at a cat care hospital. I could not have made it this far without the love and support of my deceased grandmother and grandfather, and my former foster mom, whom I call “Mom”.

​I was diagnosed with both ADHD and Autism. At first, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was eight years old. Before my diagnosis, I had a hard time concentrating while in class. This affected my grades and my school work, even though school was always important to me. Despite all this, I almost always managed to keep above a 3.5 gpa. I was placed into foster care at the age of 15, after my last living legal guardian passed away. I was then diagnosed with Autism at the age of 16. I had a rough time during the time of my diagnosis. I had just been placed into a second foster home after being removed from my first foster home, after my first foster parents had abused me. Being diagnosed with Autism actually made sense because I had always struggled with reading my peers’ social cues. Both of my diagnoses have shed light on areas where I could use some support. My ADHD diagnosis helped me get extra time on tests and quizzes, and my Autism diagnosis helped me get support for getting better with my people skills. For example, I got involved with two different social skills programs designed to improve communication skills with my peers. Despite having these diagnoses, I don’t let them affect my life negatively. To give back to my community, I started volunteering at my local library with my certified therapy dog, Koda. While on our visits, we help kids become more confident in their reading abilities in a judgment-free zone. I want to pursue higher education so that I can help people and animals in my community. In college, I plan to major in both Animal Science and Biology, which will prepare me for a career in veterinary medicine. I wanted to be a vet ever since I was a little kid. Growing up with a dog in my household was a major factor in this dream. I know that I can best serve my community as a vet because I know how much people love their animal companions. I want to share my own love and care with both animals and people. As a vet, I plan to work with people who have lower incomes and who are struggling to pay their pets' bills. I want to do this because I know what it is like to love a pet so much, while not having enough money to take care of them. I know firsthand the heartbreak of not being able to provide the necessary care for an animal. Due to knowing all this, I want to serve people who are struggling and help them provide the best life for their pets.

Kindness In Action: ​One of my friends was going through a hard time while their parents were getting divorced. I offered for them to stay at my house for the night while their dad moved out. I knew that since they had a close bond with their dad that it would tear them to pieces to have to witness him pack his things and leave. They ended up staying with me for the whole weekend because they could not bear the idea of going back to their house and not seeing their dad there. My family and I understood because we also knew that she had just lost her brother to cancer a few months prior, and that it was still bothering her quite a bit. While she was at my house, I made sure that we played her favorite games, and we watched her favorite movies, and did anything to get her mind off of what was going on. When she left Sunday evening, she told me that this was a much-needed break, and that she was so glad to have me as a friend. This moment was so important because it allowed her time away from a painful reality that she was facing back at home. If I could rewind to the moment that I offered her to stay the night, I know I would do everything all over again for her. Boldly, Unapologetically Me: Some of my friends wanted to hang out, but without one of our talkative friends. This made me feel so mad because, despite being overly talkative, she was my best friend. So I told my other friends that I would not be joining them because I didn’t like the fact that they were excluding my best friend. I then called up my best friend and asked her if she wanted to hang out - just the two of us. Her response was to happily screech in my ear, which I knew meant yes. She then suggested that I spend the night, and I told her that that was a great idea. That night, we watched movies, played games, and talked about our favorite topics. We ended up pulling an all-nighter because we were having so much fun. The next morning, she was begging me to spend another night, and I just could not say no to my best friend. The following Monday, when we went back to school, our other friends looked miserable. It just so turns out that they had gotten into a huge argument about what to do that they ended up going their separate ways. My best friend and I just looked at each other and knew that choosing the one closest to you is always the right choice.

​I was only 15 when I lost my grandmother, who was my legal guardian. After her passing, I was placed into foster care. The first foster home I stayed at was actually a friend of mine, and everything was fine at first. After a few weeks of being there, my friend’s mother and father started becoming abusive. They would yell at me and accuse me of stealing things even though I went nowhere near their belongings. What didn’t help matters was that they drank almost every single day. When my case worker found out, she quickly reached out to other foster homes to see if they would be able to take me. One person reached out and said that they would be glad to take me, so I was placed into my second foster home. My new foster mother and I immediately hit it off, and it wasn’t long before I started calling her “Mom”. I also quickly grew attached to her two dogs, Koda, a terrier mix, and Alfred, a pure-bred Weimaraner. My mom was very supportive of my dream of becoming a veterinarian and helped me get diverse volunteer experience, and she helped me get a job. I worked with rabbits, horses, and my certified therapy dog, Koda. My favorite place to volunteer is at my local library with my dog, Koda. When doing volunteer work with the rabbits, my job was to provide water and clean out the cages and litterboxes. My job when volunteering with the horses was to support the rider who was doing therapeutic riding sessions. I became a certified therapy dog handler with my dog, Koda, back in 2024. When we are at the library, we get to help kids become more confident in their reading abilities in a judgment-free zone. The first job that my mother helped me get was at a dog daycare and boarding facility. My job at the dog daycare and boarding facility was setting up cabins and suites for the boarding dogs, mopping and sanitizing the floors so that no dog would get sick, and training new employees. I worked at the dog daycare and boarding facility for over a year before quitting to focus on a position that I landed at a cat care hospital. My job at the cat care hospital is to clean litterboxes, clean the floors, help hold cats, restock needles, and take out the trash as needed. My boss, who is the vet, has provided me with scrubs and countless other gifts to help me feel welcome. I love my boss and co-workers dearly; they have taught me so many things that will come in handy when I go off to veterinary school. I still miss my grandmother every day, but I know she would be proud to see the person that I have become. I use my grandmother’s love as my guide while I navigate through life and its obstacles, because I know she would want to see me be happy and successful in life. Despite everything that I have gone through, I still know that I have people in my life who love and care about me.

To make my community a better place, I have started doing volunteer work at many facilities. I also joined a local foster care organization’s Leadership Council, called Bloom Our Youth. These organizations have actually helped me improve, while improving life for future generations. As a former foster kid myself, having aged out of the foster care system a few months ago when I turned 18, I have a soft spot for foster kids. As a member of the Leadership Council, I brainstorm ideas with 6-7 other council members, all former foster kids like myself. We work on several projects each month, in order to improve the lives of current foster kids. For example, we recently did a project to decide which items are most needed by donors to the Bloom foster care organization, to benefit teenagers about to age out of their foster homes. We made a list of specific items needed such as personal hygiene items and school supplies. Also, we also made a list of support needs for foster youth. For instance, we brought up the importance of foster youth - who often don’t have much of a support system - being paired with mentors to work through the application process for college or trade school. Much of my volunteer work has helped people with animals. I have always hated the fact that shelters kill dogs just to make room for new dogs that are coming in. When I learned about Mostly Mutts, a no-kill shelter, I immediately applied to be a volunteer there. When on a volunteering shift, I feed, walk, socialize, and clean up after the dogs. The mission of this shelter is to make sure that the dogs are well acquainted with people so that they can be adopted as quickly as possible into safe homes. I also volunteer at my local library with my certified reading therapy dog, Koda. On our hour-long visits, we help children who are struggling with reading become more confident in their reading skills. Typically, four kids will come to read to Koda during our sessions. Only one kid can read to Koda at a time, so that they do not feel judged by their peers. My job as Koda’s reading handler includes helping the kids with any words they do not know, and Koda’s job is to be the emotional support for the children. The children can choose between a sticker and a bookmark at the end of their session, or if they fill up their holepunch card, they can get a free book that has been “pawtographed” by Koda. Additionally, I volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium. There, I am a hospitality host to make sure that the public enjoys their time there. I also answer any questions the public may have about the fish or where to locate certain areas. During my shifts, I often work with the sting rays and make sure that the public is treating them well. After college, I am going to go to vet school to get my veterinary medicine license. I am going to be a practicing vet in rural areas, to help people with financial need to better take care of their animals. As a vet, I will also provide support for families who are struggling with the loss of a pet or who are struggling to pay their animal's medical bills. I will team up with animal shelters to find homes for their homeless dogs and cats, do spay and neuter to lower the per overpopulation, and provide medical treatment when necessary.