Man's best friend, animals. I believe this to be true as my best friend was my dog, Cooper. Cooper, along with many family pets, sparked my interest in animals and their health. Growing up surrounded by animals, I knew I wanted to protect them. The constant joy and relief I feel when I am around animals is the same feeling I plan to work towards. Many people see pets as just animals, but they are more than that, they are family, cherished, and loved by those around them. I want to protect the health of these amazing creatures as they continue to bring joy to their families. I have worked hard in my school taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me. Firstly, was the school choice, I have chosen to take a two-hour bus ride every morning just so that I can attend a school with an on-campus farm to further my studies. My school also offered two amazing CTE pathway programs, the Veterinary Science Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA). With my time in the Veterinary Science Club, I have had hands-on experience with many animals ranging from cats and dogs to goats and cows. I have memorized many different breeds of animals and parasites, as well as, tools that would be commonly used in the veterinary field. My constant interactions with the animals at my school have influenced my field choice because I now know I want to be a mixed-practice veterinarian, instead of a small animal veterinarian. While this may not seem like a change, I learned that every animal deserves the same attention and care, no matter how dirting or clean. I furthered my knowledge in the agricultural and veterinary industry through FFA. I have worked diligently throughout high school to become the Los Angeles section FFA president and Chapter President. I am constantly working to improve my communication, public speaking, and teamwork skills. I help coach my school's veterinary science teams, impromptu, and prepared public speaking. Of all of the animals in the world, my favorite would have to be a cheetah. The speed at which it can go from 0-60mph is why I love cheetahs so much. I hope one day to be able to go see one in the wild. Animals like this are also why I want to work with exotic animals. In the future, I plan to own several animal clinics and be a mixed-practice veterinarian. I hope to attend UC Davis for the upcoming year and continue at their veterinarian medicine school. I also plan on continuing to work with my high school to inspire more people to take up a career in agriculture. With the clinics, I plan on setting up, I hope to open up job and internship opportunities for local schools.

It was 2011, the NBA All-Star game was in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant was playing and we got tickets to go watch. That was the moment in that stadium that I fell in love with the sport of basketball. I started on a travel team called Valley Venom, which I stayed on for 5 years. We won multiple tournaments in San Diego, Las Vegas, and many more in the Mamba Academy, now known as the Sports Academy. Entering High school, I landed a spot on the JV team my sophomore year becoming the captain. While I didn't average a lot of points, I was the defensive specialty for the team constantly getting steals and blocks. In this position of captain, I learned the importance of every person and their ability to play in the system. It became clear very quickly the vitality of every person in the puzzle and missing just one piece can be crucial. Going into my Junior year I landed a spot on Varisty. This jump made me realize just how much more effort and work I had to put into my craft, if I was going to keep up. One of my biggest accomplishments came this year as it was my first game as a starter and I got the game-winning steal against my home school and scored the winning point for the team. Not only did I get a win in front of my home school and friends, but my school had not won a single game against that school in over 20 years. At the end of the year, my hard work landed me in the second team all-valley mission. Senior year is when everything changed for me, not just as an athlete but my entire life going forward. The season started strong and I was the captain of the varsity team, a starter, and we were in second place in our league. I had become a leader for my team on both offense and defense. Senior night was just around the corner and we were going to end the season strong, but that's when the health issues began. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease and pancreatitis. I couldn't let my season end there so I continued to play through my pain. Our hopes of winning in the playoffs come to an end quickly after but I know I gave it my all. Against better judgment, I played senior night and the 3 games in the playoffs before we unfortunately lost. During these games I played almost the entire game as my team needed me, hiding my diagnosis from my coach. With severe pain and blood loss, I continued to push myself to my limits not just for the team but to prove I could still play. Unfortunately, this action has led to further issues I now face as instead of letting my body heal I continued to push myself. I do plan on continuing sports in college despite the health issues I face. Basketball has taught me many things in life, the biggest one being that hard work triumphs over all. As captain, I learned to give guidance and support to my teams through tough times and hardships. The communication skills and discipline I learned from basketball will not only help me as I continue my studies in college to become a veterinarian but also in the workplace where I plan to own several clinics in the future.

Man's best friend, animals. I believe this to be true as my best friend was my dog, Cooper. Cooper, along with many family pets, sparked my interest in animals and their health. Constantly growing up surrounded by animals I knew that I wanted to protect them. The constant joy and relief I feel when I am around animals is the same feeling I plan to work towards. Many people see pets as just animals, but they are more than that, they are family, cherished, and loved by those around them. I want to protect the health of these amazing creatures as they continue to bring joy to their families. I have worked hard in my school taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me. Firstly, was the school choice, I have chosen to take a two-hour bus ride every morning just so that I can attend a school with an on-campus farm to further my studies. My school also offered two amazing CTE pathway programs, the Veterinary Science Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA). With my time in the Veterinary Science Club, I have had hands-on experience with many animals ranging from cats and dogs to goats and cows. I have memorized many different breeds of animals and parasites, as well as, tools that would be commonly used in the veterinary field. My constant interactions with the animals at my school have influenced my field choice because I now know I want to be a mixed-practice veterinarian, instead of a small animal veterinarian. While this may not seem like a change, I learned that every animal, no matter how dirting or clean, deserves the same attention and care. I furthered my knowledge in the agricultural and veterinary industry through FFA. I have worked diligently throughout high school to become the Los Angeles section FFA president and Chapter President. I am constantly working to improve my communication, public speaking, and teamwork skills. I help coach my school's veterinary science teams, impromptu, and prepared public speaking. Of all of the animals in the world, my favorite would have to be a cheetah. The speed at which it can go from 0-60mph is why I love cheetahs so much. I hope one day to be able to go see one in the wild. Animals like this are also why I want to work with exotic animals. In the future, I plan to own several animal clinics and be a mixed-practice veterinarian. I hope to attend UC Davis for the upcoming year and continue at their veterinarian medicine school. I also plan on continuing to work with my high school to inspire more people to take up a career in agriculture. With the clinics, I plan on setting up, I hope to open up job and internship opportunities for local schools.

Man's best friend, animals. I believe this to be true as my best friend was my dog, Cooper. Cooper, along with many family pets, sparked my interest in animals and their health. Constantly growing up surrounded by animals I knew that I wanted to protect them. The constant joy and relief I feel when I am around animals is the same feeling I plan to work towards. Many people see pets as just animals, but they are more than that, they are family. Cherished and loved by those around them. I want to protect the health of these amazing creatures as they continue to bring joy to their families. I have worked hard in my school taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me. Firstly, was the school choice, I have chosen to take a two-hour bus ride every morning just so that I can attend a school with an on-campus farm to further my studies. My school also offered two amazing CTE pathway programs, the Veterinary Science Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA). With my time in the Veterinary Science Club, I have had hands-on experience with many animals ranging from cats and dogs to goats and cows. I have memorized many different breeds of animals and parasites, as well as, tools that would be commonly used in the veterinary field. My constant interactions with the animals at my school have influenced my field choice because I now know I want to be a mixed-practice veterinarian, instead of a small animal veterinarian. While this may not seem like a change, I learned that every animal, no matter how dirting or clean, deserves the same attention and care. I furthered my knowledge in the agricultural and veterinary industry through FFA. I have worked diligently throughout high school to become the Los Angeles section FFA president and Chapter President. I am constantly working to improve my communication, public speaking, and teamwork skills. I help coach my school's veterinary science teams, impromptu, and prepared public speaking. Of all of the animals in the world, my favorite would have to be a cheetah. The speed at which it can go from 0-60mph is why I love cheetahs so much. I hope one day to be able to go see one in the wild. Animals like this are also why I want to work with exotic animals. In the future, I plan to own several animal clinics and be a mixed-practice veterinarian. I hope to attend UC Davis for the upcoming year and continue at the veterinarian medicine school they have. I also plan on continuing to work with my high school to inspire more people to take up a career in agriculture.

Man's best friend; animals. I believe this to be true as my best friend was my dog, Cooper. Cooper, along with many family pets, sparked my interest in animals and their health. Constantly growing up surrounded by animals I knew that I wanted to protect them. The constant joy and relief I feel when I am around animals is the same feeling I plan to work towards. Many people see pets as just animals, but they are more than that, they are family. Cherished and loved by those around them. I want to protect the health of these amazing creatures as they continue to bring joy to their families. I have worked hard in my school taking advantage of all the opportunities available to me. Firstly, was the school choice, I have chosen to take a two-hour bus ride every morning just so that I can attend a school with an on-campus farm to further my studies. My school also offered two amazing programs in the CTE pathway, which are the Veterinary Science Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA). With my time in the Veterinary Science Club, I have had hands-on experience with many animals ranging from cats and dogs to goats and cows. I have memorized many different breeds of animals and parasites, as well as, tools that would be commonly used in the veterinary field. My constant interactions with the animals at my school have influenced my field choice because I now know I want to be a mixed-practice veterinarian, instead of a small animal veterinarian. While this may not seem like a change, I learned that every animal, no matter how dirting or clean, deserves the same attention and care. I furthered my knowledge in the agricultural and veterinary industry through FFA. I have worked diligently throughout high school to become the Los Angeles section FFA president and Chapter President. I am constantly working to improve my communication, public speaking, and teamwork skills. I help coach my school's veterinary science teams, impromptu, and prepared public speaking. Of all of the animals in the world, my favorite would have to be a cheetah. The speed at which it can go from 0-60mph is why I love cheetahs so much. I hope one day to be able to go see one in the wild. Animals like this are also why I want to work with exotic animals. In the future, I plan to own several animal clinics and be a mixed-practice veterinarian. I hope to attend UC Davis for the upcoming year and continue to the veterinarian medicine school they have. I also plan on continuing to work with my high school to inspire more people to take up a career in agriculture.