My name is Lauren Jenifer. I am a student at Northern Virginia Community College majoring in general science. I have been on the dean's list all semesters I have been in attendance except for one, and I have a 3.6 GPA. I have been accepted into Virginia Tech and will attend this fall. While attending my major will be animal and poultry sciences. In the future, I hope to attend Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and get my DVM. My passion is to work with companion animals but cattle has always interested me. Many of my family members have cow farms so cattle has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Animals of all sorts are friends to many people around the world. Not only are they pets, but they are many people's best friends and only confidants. With my education, I will help people keep their best friends healthy and comfort those who may be losing them. This scholarship will help me finance my future education. I need to pursue my dreams of helping animals. It will also help me with books and other expenses required to pursue my dream. A contribution to my community that has impacted me is making cards for my local nursing home. My sister and I make Christmas and Easter cards for our local nursing home every year. I didn't realize how much of an impact it could have on someone till now. My nana has recently turned 95 and all she wants is to have her family visit her. I always make an effort to come visit her and spend time with her, especially on big holidays. There are plenty of elderly who don't have a family or grandchildren who come visit them and spend time with them. The small act of making a Christmas or Easter card could make their day and possibly make them feel like they are not alone. This has made me think about other little things I could do daily to make people happier and possibly make their day better. Another contribution I made was helping a dog find their owner. My friend and I were going on a walk and we found a small older dog. He was very friendly and seemed to be overheated. I took him home and let my parents know. We soon found the owner and returned to him. They were so worried and grateful. This experience made me realize I wanted to do something with animals. I want to help animals, not just to help animals, but to help their owners as well.

My name is Lauren Jenifer. The most impactful movie I have watched would have to be Marley and me. When I was little watching this movie just made me want a dog. Now, it has described why I want to be a veterinarian and why I'm so passionate and excited to start my journey into veterinary medicine. This movie is about a couple who gets a golden retriever puppy. While the movie goes on you see the family grow, and go through challenges. As this is happening you also see the dog Marley get older and grow with the family. Marley then gets sick. I will stop there to avoid spoilers. As I have grown up and gone through my own hardships I've realized that sometimes you don't feel like you have anyone to talk to or confide in. This has happened to me many times. All of these times I have ran to my dog, as silly as that sounds. Animals are so much more than just pets to so many people, including me. They are an ear to listen to when nobody else can or will, and a shoulder to cry on. This movie describes the bond between a pet owner and their pet. This bond is really what pushed me into my future career path which is veterinary medicine. Currently, I am a student at Northern Virginia Community College majoring in general science. I have been on the dean's list all semesters I have been in attendance except for one, and I have a 3.5 GPA. I will graduate with my associate's the summer of 2024 and attend Virginia Tech in the fall of 2024. My major will then be animal and poultry sciences. Finally, I will attend Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and get my DVM. This scholarship would help me fund my future education and help me chase my dreams of veterinary medicine. My passion is to work with companion animals but cattle has always interested me. Many of my family members have cow farms so cattle has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Animals of all sorts are friends to many people around the world. Not only are they pets, but they are many people's best friends and only confidants. With my education, I will help people keep their best friends healthy and comfort those who may be losing them.