It took me most of my life to decide what I wanted to do after college. My father has always been a dog owner, so I have been too. Our dogs have always been my greatest joy and comfort. My childhood dog, Spike, slept by my side every single night for fourteen years. Although many of my dogs have passed on, I will cherish their memories forever, and each of their stories inspires me. For this reason, I decided to focus my studies on veterinary medicine. In 2018, we rescued two male mixed-breed puppies from the same litter. Trouble was named for his outgoing personality: he’s vocal, energetic, and loves to play. He can sometimes be a handful, but he is also one of the most loving, affectionate dogs we’ve ever had. He loves attention, belly rubs, and snuggling on the couch or bed. Whenever I cry or have a panic attack, he pushes me down, lays on my chest, and licks my face until I’m laughing. Trouble has helped me through so many dark periods of my life, just by lying on my chest or sleeping by my side. He is always there to remind me that I'm loved and will never be alone. I’ve never been very religious, but Jinx was my angel. When I saw him sitting in the corner of the puppy pen, his reservedness reminded me of my own. Like Trouble, he loved to cuddle and play, and he always put a smile on everyone’s face. They would often chase each other around the yard, running as fast as they could, or play tug-of-war with a PetSmart rope they somehow managed to fray in two days. Trouble and Jinx were a dynamic duo in the making; if you gave them a new toy, they would take it in both mouths and carry it down the hallway together, their collars jingling away. The future looked bright for our two puppies. After about four months, Trouble contracted parvovirus, a contagious and potentially deadly disease if left untreated. As a low-income family, scraping together $300 for his treatment was difficult, but we luckily managed, and Trouble made an excellent recovery. However, Jinx fell ill soon after Trouble. His symptoms were far more severe, and we didn't have enough remaining medicine. In desperation, my father rushed Jinx to the vet and pleaded with them to let us have another dose, insisting he would pay next week when he had the money and that we just needed more time with our puppy. The vet denied Jinx his parvo medication until we paid upfront. My father was forced to bring our sick Jinx back home. I hardly slept that night. The thought that a veterinarian, a doctor who dedicated years of their life to the study of animal care, could turn away any family with a dying pet made me feel sick. To think that a mere $300 was the sole factor in determining whether my sweet Jinx’s life was worth saving made me feel sick. Why, in a country so advanced, should anyone’s financial status be used to determine whether they and their family are lives worth saving? The next morning, my father woke me up to tell me that Jinx did not make it through the night. Jinx’s passing affected me deeply. I want to become a veterinarian to heal this part of myself and help others heal, too. I hope to provide free treatment for parvovirus and find a way to make animal healthcare more affordable because care should not discriminate. Care should not have a price tag.

I was suspended from college. After graduating high school a semester early, I hardly had any idea of what I wanted to do. I have always struggled with indecision, so I felt that I would be better off narrowing down my options. I knew I was passionate about the sciences, where there is enough knowledge to discover as there are stars in the sky. I wanted to uncover the origins and limits of the universe and humanity. And so I began my studies in physics and geology at the University of Cincinnati. I was faced with hardship from the start. After finishing high school in an exclusively online school, I was left feeling overwhelmed by the amount of tools I was missing. I particularly struggled to pick up trigonometry, as this was an essential high-school level class that I was never able to take. Additionally, I was not provided with the housing accommodations I needed, which led to my becoming a displaced resident. Despite this, I refused to change my major or drop classes. I have never given up on a goal, and I was determined to see my decision through to the end. I tried my hardest and still always came up short. I no longer wanted to pursue physics as a career, as I knew now it would mean struggling and toiling away at equations and code on a computer screen for quite possibly the rest of my life. It didn’t seem to matter how much I studied or how much I sacrificed my mental health. After always being the smartest in my class in grade school, I now felt like the least intelligent person among my peers. But I wanted to show that I could do it, and I have never given up on a goal. Despite my unshakeable will, I simply could not catch up fast enough this time. My GPA fell to a 1.9, and I was suspended almost immediately. Since my federal aid had also been revoked, I transferred to community college and fell into debt after taking just one class. I passed my class and did my suspension time, and yet I still was not allowed to continue. In spite of this additional setback, I have continued to study the textbooks that I do own, writing and collecting as much information from them as I can. It is my biggest dream to get a real education, and I do not plan to give up my biggest dream when I know I have the potential to make it happen. It wasn’t until after my suspension that I decided I wanted to pursue biology and become a vet. I wanted to use this time to reflect on what I truly want in life and what makes me happy, and I remembered my love for animals. Now, along with finishing my education, I have a new dream: to provide animals with the healthcare they deserve, regardless of finances. That is why this scholarship is so important to me. It would give me the chance to rectify my mistakes and continue my education, not just out of spite but in pursuit of happiness. Animals have always brought me so much joy, so I would like to pay it forward to them by becoming the best veterinarian I possibly can be.