I grew up in a family awed by the beauty and complexity of “all creatures great and small,” which steered me toward veterinary medicine at a young age. However, my passion for veterinary medicine is rooted in curiosity. As a girl, my mother kept an empty bucket beside our back door for me to empty out my pockets. A broken rearview mirror, fishing buoys, and cracked golf balls are among the treasures to make it home in my pockets. In middle school, errant treasure gave way to bones. In the woods behind my house, I found my first opossum skull: fragile, bleached, elegant. I claimed a yellow-striped shell from a Florida box turtle by placing the reptile’s decomposing body on an ant hill and covering it with a flower pot. Currently I have collected or ethically sourced 28 skulls and an assortment of other bones. I became serious about veterinary studies while working at an animal hospital. My commitment deepened when I realized that as a veterinarian, I could help animals AND people by pursuing my passion in neuroscience the many physical, emotional, and mental benefits of human-animal bonds—the very bond between Pinot and Dr. Deutsch. While in college, a veterinarian at our clinic, someone I had worked alongside and deeply respected, took his own life. I was devastated. Through further research, I discovered that veterinarians have the highest risk of suicide among professional groups—they are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Around the same time, my curiosity about human-animal bonds led to student research on the benefits of emotional support animals (ESAs). I am now in my first year of vet school at Iowa State University with plans to work as a veterinarian researcher at a teaching hospital studying neuroscience and human-animal interactions—an emerging field with win-win potential for both animals and people. Already, research proves that ESA provide quantifiable benefits to individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Animal interactions elevate mood and decrease hypertension by 42% in pet owners. The release of oxytocin during human-animal contact calms and comforts, directly counteracting the hopelessness and isolation associated with suicidal thoughts. And in research on veterans with PTSD, ESAs had had remarkable success in reducing hypervigilance, improving sleep quality, and decreasing social isolation. I would also like to volunteer by providing affordable pet care to low income communities. Annual checkups cost $300 or more at the clinic where I work. Pet care is a luxury for many people because $300 could mean heat in the house or food on the table. But poor people are good pet owners who love their pets as much as someone who can afford to pay. Vet school won’t be easy, and it is extremely expensive. I sometimes wonder if the time and expense will be worthy it. But then I think about a world where I don’t try to make a difference. Who will step in and do this important work, needed work? Being a leader means doing the things no one else wants to. Making a difference in my community means recognizing a need and filling it using my skills and network. I’m working hard to realize my dream, a journey made easier with your support and the foundation of a college education. And who knows? Perhaps along the way my work will save the life of someone who relies on an ESA for support instead of thinking there’s no way out. By harnessing the healing power of our animal companions, we can transform tragedy into hope, isolation into connection, and despair into purpose.