I have always loved working with animals, as a child I would hunt and fish with my parents. I developed a strong respect for nature early on in life and that continues to this day. When I was a child my first dream career was to be a jockey, but I soon learned that career would not suit me. The next career path that appealed to me was paleontology, I wanted to study ancient fossils, but I thought that all the dinosaurs had been found so I moved on from that and onto the carrier that I have been working towards till this day and am now in school for. I learned quickly that veterinary medicine was my true calling. With my love for animals and science, veterinary medicine was and is my true calling. Science and biology were always my favorite subjects, I was never a big fan of writing or studying English in school. History was never my forte either unless we were talking about ancient civilizations. But, when it was time to learn about STEM specifically sciences like biology and chemistry it all made sense. I loved learning about why animals acted the way, and how everything can be summed up to billions of cells all working together to keep an organism functioning. As I progressed through my school from high school to college I found that the sciences came easier for me. I learned faster and understood concepts better and my GPA reflected this. I obtained my biological sciences degree from Ohio University in Athens Ohio in the spring of 2022. At that point I had already applied to five different vet schools and only Ohio State had given me an interview. After my interview I had been notified that I was placed on the waitlist, I did not let this deter me, this was my dream and I was going to see it through until it happened. Even if I had to reapply multiple times. I kept checking in with the admissions office to see if my waitlist position had moved. It moved quite frequently in the beginning but became more stagnant over time. I remained positive but I began to plan for the next year to make myself a better applicant in case I did not get a spot to join. Eventually, I got the call I had been waiting for. I was invited to join the incoming veterinary class of 2026 at The Ohio State University There is a very high demand for veterinarians in the world currently, and only about 2% of all veterinarians identify as African American. It was an honor to be accepted as a vet student at Ohio State University. Once I graduate I plan to return to my hometown in Cincinnati Ohio and work close to home to be able to give back to my local community. I hope to become a mentor to future veterinarians and introduce kids to the world of vet med. The only way to get more people involved in this career that is so desperate for people to join is to expose them to it and show them the difference they can make. Being a member of a minority group in this field of medicine I want to be a representative. Representation is crucial for minority groups and underrepresented people to see that they can make it into any space in this world. I want to show other people who are in a minority group that they can make it in STEM, and that they can make a difference.

Currently, I am unable to address my student loan debt. I just finished my first year of veterinary school at The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio. When I started vet school I had only used a small loan to pay for some of undergrad. However, grad school in my case vet school is much more expensive. With my class work and needed study time, I was unable to work during my first year. The only time I am able to work is when I am out of school on summer break because I have the time to do so. When I am off for the summer I work as many hours as I possibly can to save as much as I can, this money that I save is used for weekly expenses and budgeting during the school year. This has been my routine for managing my finances since the summer before my first year of undergrad at Ohio University. My goal this coming school year is to be able to work so that I can continue to save for weekly expenses and to have some additional financial freedom during the school year. I do not expect to be able to pay for any of my student debt until after I graduate from vet school and can find a solid job. By the time I graduate from vet school the amount of student debt I will be in will be triple if not quadruple what I currently have after completing my first year of vet school. To help reduce the amount of student debt I will come out of school with, I plan to apply to as many scholarships as I can from both Ohio State University and external sources. Once I graduate from vet school I will find a job that is close to my hometown and family. Once I find a job after graduation I plan to find a financial advisor that can help me to find the best option to pay off my student loans. I often hear about there being multiple ways to pay off large amounts of student debt. One option is paying off as little as possible each month, however, this route takes many years to become debt free. I want to be able to pay off my student loans quickly while also being able to enjoy my hobbies in life like equestrian sports. Student debt can be scary and stressful I started on this journey to become a vet fully knowing what the repercussions would be and I plan to find the best way to pay for my education while still being able to enjoy life.

The dream version of my future self is that I am working at a vet clinic after having finished my schooling to become a DVM. I'm not entirely sure which avenue of vet med I will have chosen as I am still undecided. But I will be a strong, and confident vet. I will also be a strong equestrian rider and compete at Grand Prix jumping competitions across the country and internationally. These are both my professional and personal career dream goals and I will continue to work towards them until they become my reality.

Three years from now I see myself in my clinical rotations at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and in a few weeks waking across the stage at my hooding ceremony. I graduated from Ohio University in 2022 with my Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences. I applied to vet school the fall before I graduated and I received the best news of my life on August 9th, 2022. I had finally made it to my dream school and I am in my first year, I have a long way to go before I can call myself Dr. Saunders but this first year has flown by and the next three will too. Hopefully at this point in my career, I will have settled and decided on what I want to study. I love working with horses but I fear that this career choice will limit me from what I wish to achieve in life. Three years from now I also hope to see my equestrian riding career improved. I want to participate in show jumping Grand Prix and I would love to get to the level to show internationally. I also have a great interest in emergency medicine, needless to say, I am open to whatever calls to me. An animal that I fell in love with was an animal that I never owned. After my first year as an undergrad at Ohio University, I worked for a local thoroughbred breeding/training barn. There was a beautiful bay mare that the owners of the property had just bought from an auction to be a new broodmare. I fell in love with her right away, not only was she a beautiful horse but she was also smart and even though she had her wild thoroughbred moments and reared on me one day, she was sweet. There were days that I was cleaning stalls and I would just sit in her stall when I needed a break. I felt at peace around her, and I liked to think that she enjoyed my company too. Unfortunately, she had severe hoof issues that required her to wear special medical boots and to be on little to no restrictive turnout. After the summer was over I returned to school and I didn't keep ties with my employers so I cannot say what happened to her or where she is now. Whenever someone asks me about my favorite horse I have to say her and of course my own Ms. B.