The most valuable lesson I’ve learned as a first-generation college student is how to build my own path when no one could hand me a map. As the first person in my family to pursue a four-year degree, I’ve realized that earning a college education involves much more than attending classes. Without someone at home who had been through the process before me, I learned to ask questions, seek out resources, and keep moving forward even when I wasn’t sure I was making the right decisions. I began college at seventeen, believing that once I was accepted, everything else would simply fall into place. As I adjusted to college life, I realized that success required far more than earning admission. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to return home and enroll at community college, where I earned my Associate of Arts in Behavioral and Social Sciences. Today, I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in Human-Animal Studies at the University of Redlands while simultaneously completing my Associate of Science in Veterinary Technology through Penn Foster. Along the way, I have volunteered at animal shelters, cared for neonatal kittens, trained as a veterinary assistant, and now work overnight at a veterinary emergency hospital while continuing my education. These experiences have strengthened both my technical skills and my commitment to building a career in veterinary medicine. For a long time, I believed my nontraditional path meant I was falling behind. Watching classmates graduate on a more conventional timeline made it easy to question whether I was doing enough. Over time, however, I realized that success is not measured by how quickly you reach your goals but by your willingness to keep pursuing them. Every detour, setback, and unexpected opportunity has strengthened my resilience and reinforced my determination to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. I hope to inspire other first-generation college students by showing them that there is no single "right" way to earn a degree. Attending community college, changing your academic path, working while in school, or taking longer than expected to graduate does not make your accomplishments any less meaningful. Every student's journey is different, and success should never be measured against someone else's timeline. As I continue building my career, I also hope to become the mentor I once needed. I know how overwhelming it can be to navigate financial aid, scholarships, transfer applications, and career decisions without someone to guide you. By sharing what I have learned and encouraging others to ask questions and seek opportunities, I hope to make the process a little less intimidating for future first-generation students. Sometimes the greatest source of encouragement is simply knowing that someone else has walked the path before you.

When people think about sustainability, they often think about recycling or reducing waste. While those things are important, I believe sustainability is ultimately about creating a future where people, animals, and the environment can all thrive together. In my field, veterinary medicine, sustainability should be a priority because the health of animals is closely connected to the health of the world around them. My passion for animal welfare has been a driving force throughout my life. Over the years, I have gained experience through animal shelter volunteering, veterinary assistant training, and neonatal kitten care. These opportunities allowed me to see both the rewards and challenges of caring for animals and strengthened my commitment to pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Through these experiences, I have come to understand that helping animals goes beyond treating illness or injury. It also means protecting the environments they depend on to live healthy lives. Environmental issues affect animals every day. Wildlife face habitat loss and pollution, while companion animals can be impacted by poor air quality, extreme weather, and environmental toxins. Because of this, I believe veterinary professionals have a responsibility not only to care for individual patients but also to support practices that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable future. As I pursue my bachelor’s degree in Human-Animal Studies, I hope to further strengthen my understanding of the connection between people, animals, and the environment. One of the reasons I am drawn to this field is because it recognizes that these relationships are interconnected. Human-Animal Studies explores how human actions influence animal welfare and how animals, in turn, shape our communities and daily lives. It has encouraged me to think more broadly about the factors that affect animal well-being, including environmental conditions, public policy, and community education. Communities with healthy environments often have healthier animals, and healthier animals contribute to stronger communities. Sustainability allows us to protect both. In the future, I hope to work in animal welfare and wildlife rehabilitation, where resources are often limited and every decision matters. I want to be part of organizations that find innovative ways to care for animals while reducing waste and using resources responsibly. I also hope to educate the public about how everyday choices can impact wildlife and local ecosystems. Whether through responsible pet ownership, or protecting natural habitats, I believe education can play an important role in protecting both domestic animals and wildlife for future generations.

Education has given me the opportunity to turn a lifelong passion into a meaningful career. As a first-generation college student, pursuing higher education has not always been straightforward, but every challenge has reinforced my determination to build a future dedicated to helping both animals and the people who love them. My goal is to build a career that serves as a bridge between veterinary professionals, pet owners, and the animals in their care. Through my education in Veterinary Technology and Human-Animal Studies, I am developing the skills needed to support patients medically while also helping owners navigate complex and often overwhelming situations. Throughout my experiences as a shelter volunteer, veterinary assistant, and veterinary customer service representative, I have learned that quality veterinary care extends beyond treating illness. It also involves communication, education, and compassion. Working with rescue animals through organizations such as Adopt & Shop Culver City and the Long Beach Little Paws Project showed me firsthand the impact that dedicated animal welfare professionals can have on both individual animals and entire communities. These experiences strengthened my desire to pursue a career where I can advocate for animals while helping families better understand their pets’ needs. To achieve this goal, I am currently pursuing an Associate of Science degree in Veterinary Technology while preparing to continue my education at the University of Redlands, where I will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Human-Animal Studies. Together, these degrees will provide me with a unique combination of medical knowledge and an understanding of the human-animal bond. In the future, I hope to use my education to make veterinary information more accessible to pet owners. Whether explaining treatment plans, helping clients make informed decisions, or creating educational resources that improve understanding of animal health, I want to empower people to become better advocates for their pets. I also hope to encourage other first-generation and underrepresented students to pursue careers in veterinary medicine by demonstrating that success is possible even when the path is not always clear. Ultimately, what I am building is more than a career. I am building a future centered on education, advocacy, and compassion. By combining my passion for animal welfare with the opportunities provided by higher education, I hope to create a lasting impact on both the animals I serve and the communities that care for them.

When people ask me why I chose veterinary medicine, I always think of my childhood dog, Cloe. She was a small white and black Chihuahua mix that my mother rescued, and she quickly became my best friend. When she suddenly lost the use of her hind legs, I was devastated. I was too young to understand what was happening or how to help her, but the experience ultimately led me to where I am today. Wanting to help animals like Cloe encouraged me to seek opportunities to gain hands-on experience in animal care. In high school, I volunteered with Adopt & Shop Culver City, where I assisted with the daily care and adoption of shelter animals. During my time there, I also trained as a veterinary assistant and learned skills such as administering vaccines, giving oral medications, and providing fluid therapy. More recently, I volunteered in the kitten nursery for the Long Beach Little Paws Project through Little Lion Foundation, helping care for vulnerable neonatal kittens. These experiences introduced me to the realities of animal welfare and strengthened my commitment to helping animals in need. Throughout my journey, I eventually was able to gain experience working at veterinary clinics and emergency hospitals, where I was able to observe the relationship between veterinary teams, patients, and their families firsthand. Through these experiences, I discovered where I can make the greatest impact. While I once believed veterinary school was my ultimate goal, I realized I am most fulfilled when I can be hands-on with patients, helping them feel safe and comfortable while also alleviating owners’ confusion and anxiety. I enjoy translating medical terminology and treatment plans into simpler language so pet owners truly understand what is happening and feel informed rather than overwhelmed, as I once was. Like Andrea, I am currently pursuing an Associate of Science degree in Veterinary Technology while preparing to continue my education at the University of Redlands, where I will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Human-Animal Studies. As a future licensed veterinary technician and doctors assistant, I hope to improve the lives of animals while making veterinary care feel less intimidating for the families who depend on it. Looking ahead, I am committed to being a bridge that families and their pets can rely on for the guidance I once needed while helping create a more compassionate and supportive environment in the world of veterinary medicine.

For as long as I can remember, my relationship with school was complicated. While I never struggled to make friends and enjoyed spending time with them, succeeding academically never came naturally to me. My attention span was never the greatest, and sitting through lectures often felt impossible. Growing up, it was obvious that many of my peers were able to finish their homework by dinner or before bedtime, while I was often still sitting at the kitchen table well past midnight trying to finish work that seemed to come much easier to everyone else. Eventually, my mother became concerned enough to have me evaluated for a possible learning disability. The results showed that I simply learned better when information was presented differently. Throughout middle school and high school, I continued to compare myself to others. I watched cousins earn straight A’s, receive academic awards, and be celebrated for their achievements while I needed to attend summer school just to stay on track and often felt as though I was not as intelligent as the people around me. Over time, I began to believe that because I did not excel in school, I was somehow less capable. What I realize now at twenty-five years old is that I was measuring myself by the wrong standard. While I struggled to thrive in traditional academic settings, I excelled when I was pursuing something I genuinely cared about. Whether I was volunteering with animals or gaining experience in veterinary medicine, I never lost sight of what I wanted to do. Long before I had the grades to prove myself academically, I was already building skills and finding my place in the world. Somehow, I managed to get my foot in the door without the impressive report cards I believed were required for success. Ironically, it was my career that led me to college as I realized that furthering my education would allow me to provide better care and make a greater impact. For the first time in my life, school became something I wanted rather than something I simply had to do. Once I connected learning to a purpose I cared deeply about, everything changed. I became more dedicated to my studies and learned to work with my strengths rather than focus on my weaknesses. It was not until recently that I realized my experiences were impacting other people as well. During a group FaceTime call, one of my closest friends told me that watching me continue to pursue my education despite years of academic struggles encouraged her to keep working toward completing her nursing program. In her eyes, I was proof that challenges and setbacks do not have to determine the outcome of a person’s future. Hearing that caught me completely off guard because I had never considered that someone was looking at my story and being inspired by it. That conversation helped me realize that I can show others that there is no single path to success and that no journey is less valuable than another. I may never know who is watching, but I hope that when people see me continuing to pursue my education and career despite the challenges I have faced, they realize they can do the same.

My passion for working with animals began with my childhood dog, Cloe. She was a small Chihuahua mix that my mother rescued, and she quickly became my best friend. When she suddenly lost the use of her hind legs, I was devastated. I was too young to understand what was happening, but I remember desperately wanting to help her. It was during that experience that I first realized I wanted to dedicate my life to animal welfare. The desire to help more animals like Cloe eventually led me to seek opportunities to gain hands-on experience in animal care. In high school, I volunteered with Adopt & Shop Culver City, where I assisted with the care and adoption of shelter animals. During my time there, I also had the opportunity to train as a veterinary assistant, learning skills such as administering vaccines, giving oral medications, and providing fluid therapy. More recently, I volunteered in the kitten nursery for the Long Beach Little Paws Project through Little Lion Foundation, helping care for vulnerable neonatal kittens. Each of these experiences solidified my commitment to veterinary medicine and confirmed that working with animals is not only what I want to do, but where I feel I can make the greatest impact. While my career path became clear early on, achieving that goal has been far from straightforward. My experience as a first-generation college student has looked very different from what many people imagine. Rather than following a straight path from high school to a four-year university and graduation, my college experience has been shaped by unexpected turns and opportunities that ultimately strengthened my determination to succeed. As the first person in my family to pursue a bachelor’s degree, I started college without a roadmap, often having to seek out educational opportunities, navigate unfamiliar systems, and build my academic path largely on my own. At seventeen, I enrolled at a four-year university, excited to build a future for myself in a new city. However, due to life circumstances, I returned home during my sophomore year. While leaving university felt like the right choice for me at the time, adjusting to the change was much more difficult. For a long time, I struggled with the disappointment of feeling like I had fallen behind my peers and the goals I had set. Despite this setback, instead of giving up, I chose to enroll in a community college and continue working toward my goals. After many ups, downs, and unexpected changes, I eventually earned an Associate of Arts degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences. Earning that degree gave me confidence in my abilities and reinforced my belief that I am capable of achieving the future I envisioned for myself. Today, I am pursuing an Associate of Science degree in Veterinary Technology while preparing to continue my education at the University of Redlands, where I will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human-Animal Studies. Together, these degrees will provide me with the knowledge and skills needed to continue building the career I have worked toward since high school.

Now that I am older, my relationship with my faith has changed. When I was younger, faith was simply something I practiced because my family did and so it was expected of me as well. Today, faith means trusting that everything will unfold the way it is supposed to, even when I cannot see the bigger picture. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to stop overthinking the things that are outside of my control. While I still work hard toward my goals, I try not to obsess over every possible outcome. Instead, I live by a simple motto: what is meant for me will find its way to me, and what is not meant for me will pass right on by. If I receive an opportunity I have been hoping for, I believe that it was meant to be part of my journey. If I do not receive it, I trust and accept that there is a reason and that something better suited for me lies ahead. This mindset has helped me navigate my educational journey more confidently. As a first-generation college student pursuing a career in animal welfare and veterinary medicine, there have been moments when I questioned whether I was making the right decisions. Between balancing school, work, finances, and future plans, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. During those moments, my faith reminds me that I do not have to have everything figured out right away. I simply need to continue putting in the effort and trust that I am being guided to where I need to go. While my faith provides me with peace and direction, it is my passion for animal welfare that has pushed me to pursue higher education. My biggest goal is to become a Registered Veterinary Technician and eventually work as a Doctor’s Assistant while specializing in neonatal animal care. To achieve this, I understand the importance of education and the knowledge it provides. Through my experiences working with and caring for animals, I have seen firsthand the impact compassionate veterinary care can have on both pets and the people who love them. Those experiences strengthened my desire to build a career where I can make a meaningful difference. Together, these two have helped shape the person I am today and continue to motivate me as I pursue my dreams. While I do not know exactly what the future holds, I am confident that if I continue to work hard, remain faithful, and stay true to my purpose, I will end up exactly where I am meant to be. Personal Instagram: @mv.xi.x Vet Med Journey: @mvveterinarycollective