Growing up, I have always been the kid to bring home pets to my family, asking forgiveness rather than permission. From Chinese Water Dragons and snakes to cats, rabbits and hamsters, my family has gotten used to accepting new animals. I knew from a young age that I wanted to make an impact in the field of veterinary medicine, but I was never quite sure how. Naturally I wanted to help animals in my hometown, but I also wanted to positively influence animal healthcare around the world. One of the best experiences I had in my early childhood was also one of the worst. I was fortunate enough to visit family friends in a small mountain village in Costa Rica and I fell in love with how natural and beautiful the area was. However, at one point during the trip I vividly remember the family dog dropping to the floor and violently seizing. We needed to get to a veterinarian immediately, yet the closest clinic was two hours away. On the drive to that clinic, the sweet puppy passed away. We were all heartbroken, but another strong emotion I recall feeling was frustration that the doctor was too far to remedy this very treatable condition. I am beginning my first semester at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and I plan to develop a cellular application for animal owners living in remote and low-income areas around the world. This online forum would allow for any client to send in pictures or videos and ask questions regarding their pet’s health. I hope to establish this nonprofit company to support small regions with limited veterinary care, like the one I visited as a child. Licensed veterinarians would volunteer their time to help these communities in need, and owners would obtain reliable medical information to keep their beloved pets safe. This could be applied not only for household pets but also for farm animals. There are many areas of the world where cattle and other livestock are a family’s livelihood, and if even one animal in the herd becomes ill the family could suffer financially. With the app, these owners could simply send in some information on the case, and a veterinarian would respond promptly with a possible diagnosis and treatment. If a prescription is necessary and a pharmacy available, medications could be scripted out. In the next few years in veterinary school, I see myself enhancing my leadership skills and working with my colleagues to make this project possible. My goal is to create an online community where social class and geographic location have no effect on the care of animals. Being awarded the Female Empowerment Scholarship would mean a great deal to me because I am passionate about impacting the world, regardless of obstacles I may face along the way. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I am grateful to have suffered the deep and painful feeling of grief after my dog passed away. For I only felt that grief because I was blessed to experience the unconditional love from her. These two emotions go hand in hand, because you cannot feel true love without eventually feeling the tormenting heartbreak that follows a loved one’s death. My dog gave me 17 beautiful years full of laughter and tears, and it all started when my family and I found her wandering along the side of the road. I remember the first time I saw her; thin and shaking, with eyes far too big for her face. Her hair was long and matted all over her body, and none of us could tell what breed she resembled. The odor coming off the dog's small body was unbearable, yet there was something that made me want to take her home. It took several hours to shave off all the matts and bathe her but when it was finished, we realized she was an adorable tan and white Shih Tzu. The local veterinarian performed a health check-up and found her to be underweight but otherwise very healthy and young. We posted ads all over the neighborhood, trying to find the owners. After several months we still heard nothing, and it was decided she would be our very first family dog. My mom used to make delicious muffins every Sunday. One day as a fresh batch was cooling off, my family and I came running into the kitchen after we heard a clatter. The dog had jumped from a chair to the table just to knock down the tray of muffins! Unfortunately for her she only got one bite, but from that time on we decided to call her Muffin. She was full of personality, and I could not count the number of ninja-like attempts she made at stealing food. At the age of 16, Muffin started to have seizures roughly once a week. We tried giving her several different medications from the veterinarian. The seizures became less frequent but never fully stopped. That year was very difficult for me, as I struggled to do everything I could to slow her decline. Eventually, she started losing her appetite and her mental state seemed to diminish. The doctor discussed with my family the possibility of a brain tumor and I was devastated. Even on her worst days when she could barely move or control her bowels, Muffin would never stop wagging her tail. She taught me to always live in the moment, and to keep a positive attitude no matter how bad my day was. I also learned from her how to adapt to situations out of my control. When she was too weak to try and jump on the table to steal food, Muffin learned to approach the family member who was most willing to give handouts, my brother. Later that year, my beloved Muffin passed peacefully through humane euthanasia. I believe Muffin will always be with me in my heart and in my mind. The lessons I learned from my pet are still with me today, and I remember her in the way I choose to live my life to its fullest potential. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I remember vividly seeing my brother Davis in the hospital hooked up to his feeding tube. After he spent a week hospitalized with severe Crohn’s Disease, my family had a new outlook on wellbeing. Davis had previously spent very little energy on his health, and my family did not realize the dangerous effects that an unhealthy lifestyle could have. Crohn’s Disease is often a lifelong battle, and it involves inflammation of the digestive tract sometimes causing severe symptoms. My brother’s case was a severe one, and he lost fifty pounds over the course of that flare up. Before we knew the diagnosis, my family and I attempted cooking all sorts of different foods just to try and get him to eat something. Nothing seemed to help ease the stomach pains, so he started skipping meals. At the time, Davis was in advanced college courses, and he was shouldering substantial stress. He would stay up late and wake up early, and he never took the time to exercise or even go outside. After discovering that my brother was ill with Crohn’s Disease, I started doing some research online. This was several years ago, and there was not as much on the internet about the illness. However, I found one article describing a woman’s journey back to health using superfoods. I thought, if it helped the symptoms of her Crohn’s then why not try it for Davis. At least it couldn’t hurt. I learned what foods are healthy for you and those you should avoid. The first meal I cooked for him after his return from the hospital was baked purple sweet potatoes with plain steamed white rice. Davis slept through the night, and he was relieved to have felt no pain after that meal. I did some more research on purple sweet potatoes and realized the antioxidant properties help to minimize the bowel’s inflammation due to oxidative stress. There were also some studies noting the level of beneficial bacteria in the G.I. tract was maintained after consumption of these potatoes. My brother’s doctor informed us a likely cause of the Crohn’s flare up was stress as well as inadequate diet and exercise. Davis decided to take a much-needed semester off from school to focus on his health. He and I would go on long bike rides every day, and he learned to cook healthy meals that made him feel good. Fast forward a few years, and my brother experiences hardly any Crohn’s symptoms at all. My brother’s health battle taught me the importance of healthy living, and I am always working to minimize stress in my life. Beginning my first semester at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, I am aware that the path I’ve chosen can be a stressful one. I make sure every day to take some time for myself and do things to make me feel good, inside and out. I started a mini garden at my apartment, and every morning I go out to tend to my plants, even if just for a few moments. I have worked nightly jogs into my routine, keeping me focused and mentally prepared for the following day. My eating habits have evolved to include some of the superfoods that helped Davis’s symptoms, and I am always finding new healthy recipes to try. The Healthy Living scholarship would mean a great deal to me because I am passionate about studying the countless effects lifestyle choices have on overall wellbeing. I hope to share my knowledge of Crohn’s Disease with others who may be in the same position as my brother was years ago. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I adopted my Ball Python Roger when I was in high school and spent every free moment I had with him. He had a strange but endearing habit of always propping his head up and slightly tilting it when I approached his tank, which is unusual behavior for snakes. I never would have guessed that this scaly little critter would have such a substantial impact on my life. In 2016 I went on a trip with my family and trusted my friend to pet sit Roger while I was away. I came back to find him hospitalized at the local exotic clinic, nearly dead. Apparently, my friend had taken Roger to her house and her brother unknowingly stomped on him out of fear. The surgeon did everything he could to repair the wounds, but made it known that a full recovery was unlikely. Sepsis was an unnerving risk, and I knew that it would be a long and difficult healing process. I applied medication to his wound daily, and watched as he slowly started to eat again and returned to his normal activities. To me, it is a miracle that Roger is still alive. It’s not often that you learn vital life lessons from your pet, but Roger taught me endurance and courage in times of his suffering. The feeling of unconditional love from your pet can change your life, and Roger showed me exactly what that love feels like. One day, several months after the traumatic incident, I walked near Roger’s tank to observe him. I was relieved and deeply moved when I saw him raise his head, with his eyes gazing towards me. I almost sensed it was his way of saying thank you. The Pet Lover scholarship would mean a great deal to me because I want to use this experience to pursue a career in reptile surgery once I graduate. I yearn to emulate the skills and adeptness as well as the compassion of the veterinarian who saved my beloved Roger. I also strive to educate the public about exotic pets, and I hope to one day remove the stigma that all snakes are dangerous. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Every morning I perform my ritual of making coffee and stirring in some creamy, cold milk. I relax on the sofa while I eat my yogurt and granola. Not for a moment do I ever consider that these simple daily acts could kill me! This is thanks to Louis Pasteur, the chemist behind my favorite scientific discovery: pasteurization. As a result, countless lives have been protected. Before this discovery, Germ Theory was not widely accepted and it was believed that nothing could prevent bacteria from randomly generating, even without contamination. Pasteurization involves the sterilization of food products for a specified time and temperature in order to prevent food-borne illnesses and extend the item’s shelf life. I admire this discovery immensely because it proves all it takes is one idea and many hours of study to save millions of lives. Louis Pasteur changed the world, and his discovery inspires me to pursue a career in food animal medicine. I hope to perform my own research while attending the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and to help protect people around the world from food contamination.

Imagine driving 45 minutes to treat just one pig for an infection, then driving another hour to assist with dystocia in a farmer’s favorite cow. Imagine coming home after a long day of driving and caring for farm animals, just to realize your paycheck barely covers your bills. This set of circumstances is unfortunately too common for rural veterinarians. Veterinarians who choose this path will graduate with the same amount of debt as those who want to work with small animals, but the pay scale is dramatically different. This is mostly due to the lower pay of those in the farming industry. Many farmers would rather do as much veterinary work on their own as possible, rather than spending their hard-earned money on veterinary bills. There is also the sense of frustration and exasperation at the end of the doctor’s day, knowing there are countless more animals they are unable to help. A large animal doctor can drive around all day treating animals at several different farms, and still have twice as many they simply could not get to. While these problems are vast, there are possible solutions. Veterinary colleges are limited to accepting a small number of students each year. While the number of admitted students is increasing slightly each year at some colleges, there is still a large demand for veterinarians. The amount of students interested in small animal medicine far outnumbers those wanting to practice on large animals. More scholarships like this one should be made available for students with goals of becoming rural veterinarians. Furthermore, once graduated it would be helpful to receive additional federally funded grants or tax cuts to compensate for lower pay and the money spent on gas. Federal loan repayment programs are a common topic discussed in the field. If these programs could be expanded for graduates working in rural communities, perhaps more students would consider broadening their studies to gain a better understanding of large animal medicine. After my graduation from The University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, I plan on doing everything I can to help large animals, with a special interest in dairy cows. While in my undergraduate program at UF, I assisted graduate students studying a dairy cow’s ability to digest and utilize corn silage. This opportunity piqued my interest in ruminant nutritional requirements, and I hope to eventually perform my own research to improve the lives of dairy cows as well as their productivity for the farmers. I am dedicated to becoming a large animal veterinarian in a rural area because I know how the shortage of rural doctors has affected the health of farm animals and I want to help the animals that are most in need of medical care. Currently, for so many farms there is only one veterinarian they can call on to help in an emergency, and that doctor likely is many miles away and just cannot get there in time. My goal is to help solve this problem by informing more students on the need for large animal veterinarians, as well as advocating to get more financial help for these doctors. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this incredible scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I am currently starting my first semester at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine and am already looking forward to the clinical application of the knowledge I will learn throughout my didactic years. In three years, I see myself beginning my journey of clinical rotations. I am committed to improving my leadership skills and hope to have started an online student organization to support diverse ideas and mindsets in the field, helping underrepresented students achieve their goals. I plan on expanding my knowledge of veterinary surgery and want to be involved in volunteer programs such as Operation Catnip to perform spays and neuters on stray cats. In the next few years, I see myself enhancing my communication skills with clients and being able to have difficult conversations with owners while showing empathy and compassion. I am also looking to develop skills in reptile surgery, due to an unfortunate experience my Ball Python Roger endured. I adopted Roger when I was in high school and spent every free moment I had with him. He had a strange but endearing habit of always propping his head up and slightly tilting it when I approached his tank, which is unusual behavior for snakes. I never would have guessed that this scaly little critter would have such a substantial impact on my life. In 2016 I went on a trip with my family and trusted my friend to pet sit Roger while I was away. I came back to find him hospitalized at the local exotic clinic, nearly dead. Apparently, my friend had taken Roger to her house and her brother unknowingly stomped on him out of fear. The surgeon did everything he could to repair the wounds, but made it known that a full recovery was unlikely. Sepsis was an unnerving risk, and I knew that it would be a long and difficult healing process. I applied medication to his wound daily, and watched as he slowly started to eat again and returned to his normal activities. To me, it is a miracle that Roger is still alive. It’s not often that you learn vital life lessons from your pet, but Roger taught me endurance and courage in times of his suffering. One day, several months after the traumatic incident, I walked near Roger’s tank to observe him. I was relieved and deeply moved when I saw him raise his head, with his eyes gazing towards me. I almost sensed it was his way of saying thank you. The Betsy V Brown scholarship would mean a great deal to me because I want to use this experience to pursue a career in reptile surgery once I graduate. I yearn to emulate the skills and adeptness as well as the compassion of the veterinarian who saved my beloved Roger. I also strive to educate the public about exotic pets, and I hope to one day remove the stigma that all snakes are dangerous. Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to be awarded this scholarship. I look forward to hearing from you soon.