Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church that my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sister every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself yet one thing did not change. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University. I want to become a large animal veterinarian and own a practice. These were my goals. These goals have not changed since I was nine years old. They are still my goals, and I am doing my best to make these happen. However, in my freshman year of high school, I joined JROTC. I originally joined because many people told me I would not. I do not like for people to doubt me. I fell in love with our program though. I have learned so much about myself and my leadership skills through JROTC. My favorite JROTC memory was last summer at Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC). I met some amazing people that I continue to talk to every day, and I learned many skills that I can use in every aspect of my life. I was against joining the military for a long while. I always told Lieutenant Colonel Delacruz, a JROTC instructor at my high school, that I was going to attend college to become a veterinarian with no military involvement. It was not until my senior year of high school that I realized I could be in the military and have my dream job as a veterinarian. I ended up enlisting in the South Carolina Army National Guard (SCARNG) on Valentine’s Day. I will be attending Clemson University in the fall as a member of the ROTC Battalion and a member of the National Guard. I want to become a Veterinary Corps Officer where I will care for government animals and service members' beloved pets. I would also be able to participate in research whether it is for vaccines or eradicating diseases. I could even be given the opportunity to teach veterinary medicine to people in other countries. This has been added to the dream however I have recently learned that in South Carolina we only have one veterinarian in the SCARNG. This means I will have to work much harder. I want to be the second veterinarian in the SCARNG. It will be a long and challenging process, but I have the perseverance, determination, and passion to make this dream come true. I will be able to make a positive influence on many people whether through my research or teaching of skills. When I am able to accomplish my dreams of becoming a veterinarian in the South Carolina Army National Guard, I will be paving the way for others and may be able to build the Veterinary Corps in South Carolina. I could show the people in Seneca, South Carolina, my hometown, that a girl that stepped out of her comfort zone made a difference by following her dreams while serving in the United States armed forces.

Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church that my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sister every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself. I did not let this affect my grades, social life, or goals. I challenge myself academically. When my adoption was first happening I did not let it affect my grades. I began to push myself harder because school became a place of normalcy. This continued through middle and high school. I have taken many APs. I have been on the Principal’s Honor Roll for my school, Seneca High School, every single year. I have been able to accomplish this even though I did not have a traditional home life in my major developmental years. I have allowed myself to have a healthy social life. I joined FFA while I was in the sixth grade. I quickly grew a passion for agriculture and wanted to thrive in my organization. While I was not able to do much in middle school, I have taken advantage of the opportunities my high school’s chapter has offered. I have been on the officer team for three years, and I have participated in many career development events (CDEs). My favorite CDE so far has been the Dairy Handling CDE. I had never shown a cow or heifer before, but I finished third in the state. I will admit that there were only five competitors. I was also able to attend South Carolina’s Commissioner School for Agriculture (SCCSA) through my FFA Chapter. SCCSA showed me what I wanted to do in my life. It solidified that I wanted to major in Animal and Veterinary Science. It helped to develop skills that make me a strong agricultural leader. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to own and operate a small farm. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences. I want to become a large animal veterinarian and own a practice. These were my goals. They did not change when I was nine years old. These are still my goals. I am doing my best to make this happen. I want to make this as true as possible by attending Clemson in the fall. It is also the best school for me to receive the best education and fulfill all of my other goals. My life imploded, but I stayed true to what I wanted in the future. To conclude, I have done everything possible to keep myself on track. I challenge myself academically through rigorous classes and perform in them to the best of my ability. I participate in many extracurricular activities. These activities teach me valuable life and leadership skills that I can use in college and in my future career. I also did not let the disruption in my family derail my goals. I plan to continue my future in agriculture and know that Clemson University is my best shot at making what I want to happen.

I am Lana Hendricks. I am a senior at Seneca High School in Seneca, South Carolina. I have taken many Honors and AP classes. I am a part of FFA, JROTC, cheerleading, track and field, Interact Club, and NHS at my high school. I joined JROTC during my freshman year. I originally joined because many people told me I would not. I do not like for people to doubt me. I fell in love with our program though. I have learned so much about myself and my leadership skills through JROTC. I also compete in two sports, Varsity Cheerleading and Track and Field. Cheerleading has taught me teamwork and the importance of encouraging others. While throwing shot put and discus for the track team, I learned the importance of individuality. The sports I participate in have taught me how to be myself while being a part of something bigger. I am also a part of the National Honors Society, NHS, and Interact Club. They emphasize the importance of service learning. They really make me feel as if I am making a difference in my community. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to be a veterinarian. This has always been my dream, and it is becoming more and more real the quicker I get to high school graduation. I hope to become a large animal veterinarian. My love for animals started young but really began to flourish when I joined the National FFA Organization. I joined FFA while I was in the sixth grade. I quickly grew a passion for agriculture and wanted to thrive in my organization. While I was not able to do much in middle school, I have taken advantage of the opportunities my high school’s chapter has offered. I have been on the officer team for three years, and I have participated in many career development events (CDE). I was also able to attend South Carolina’s Commissioner School for Agriculture (SCCSA) through my FFA Chapter. SCCSA really showed me what I wanted to do in my life. It solidified that I wanted to attend Clemson University and I wanted to major in Animal and Veterinary Science. It helped to develop skills that make me a strong agricultural leader. I plan to continue working with animals for the rest of my life. I have enlisted in the South Carolina Army National Guard and plan to commission as an officer. After my commission, I plan to be a Veterinary Corps Officer. I will be able to practice in three main areas: animal medicine, veterinary public health, and research and development. I will care for government-owned animals such as K-9 and parol horses and pets of service members. In my civilian life, I will be able to practice on my own. I will be able to care for the many animals in my community though my true passion is in livestock. I hope to be able to create a program in the future to help the many homeless people that own pets. People around my community are less fortunate and they own animals, but can not get the care needed for them causing the animals to be neglected or for them to be given up. I would love to make it possible for the animals to get the care they deserve and for their owners to have somewhere to go for help. I want to make a real difference in my community. I have a passion for helping animals and want to create change through it.

Nine. It is an important age. Nine is the last year before you turn double digits. Your classes become more than just A, B, C, and 1, 2, 3. Nine is a developmental year. It is before everything changes. When I was nine, my life as I knew it fell apart. In short, my third-grade teacher and her husband, the pastor of a local church my aunt and uncle attended, adopted me. I went from seeing my brother and sisters every day to seeing them once every Sunday. I had to find my place in a whole new family all because of addiction. This can be challenging for a child that has not even found her place within herself. Both of my biological parents were addicted to prescription opioids. The first time it actually affected me, I was in 4K. My younger brother and I had to live with a foster family. We did not know these people, but we were together. We were eventually allowed to go back with our parents. Soon after, my little sister was born. I knew then I had to raise both of my siblings because my parents were unable to do so. I kept things afloat until I was nine. We were all three placed with my aunt and uncle. They also had two children. This became difficult for them to do, so we needed a new solution. We were each adopted into different families while in elementary school. However, I did not let this affect my grades, social life, or goals. When my adoption happened, I did not let it affect my grades. I began to push myself harder because school became a place of normalcy. I tested well on my state test and began to be in honors classes. This continued through middle and high school. I have taken many APs and honors classes. I have been able to accomplish this even though I did not have a traditional home life in my major developmental years. I have allowed myself to have a healthy social life. I have joined FFA, JROTC, 4-H, cheerleading, track and field, Interact, and NHS. I am also an active member of my church. Though my childhood started roughly, I have not allowed it to prevent me from being a very active participant in my school and community. Since I was a child, I have pretty much known what I wanted to do. I want to own and operate a small farm. I want to major in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University, and I wanted to be a part of the military. These were my goals. They did not change when I was nine years old. These are still my goals. I am doing my best to make these happen. I have enlisted in the National Guard. I have also been accepted into Clemson’s Animal and Veterinary Sciences program. My life imploded, but I stayed true to what I wanted in the future. To conclude, I have done everything to exceed people’s expectations of me. Many people expected me to end up like my biological family. High school dropouts with no future, but I refuse. I will go to college and make something of myself. This experience with addiction as a young child has become my motivation. I was indirectly affected by drug addiction, but I will not let it be my future. My siblings and I are now thriving in our giant, beautifully mixed family. I would not change anything that happened because I have learned and matured into the young lady I am today.