Growing up, I remember being fascinated by in-depth surgery videos on animals, performed for free by veterinarians, that 10-year-old me had scrolled upon on Youtube. This enthrallment wasn’t temporary, but would instead morph into a deeper love for the animal science that saved the lives of many animals. Especially after an incident that occurred early on in my childhood, where I accidentally severed the backbone of a little green frog. Minutes before the disaster, I had just discovered the creature hopping around when I decided to place it on my backyard table to observe it for just a short time. However, I realized the frog would jump off the table and become injured if I didn't create some type of barrier, and so quickly trying to prevent its fall, I slammed down a wooden board in the frog's path. But before I could realize it, the green creature leaped into a fate that promised fatality. My stomach sank. I removed the board of the frog already knowing the gruesome scene that lay ahead. I frantically tried to see how the little creature could be helped. But surgeries weren’t a quick fix-it-yourself type of deal, to my disappointment. So, knowing I wouldn’t be able to save the life of the frog, I tried asking my parents to take the frog to the vet. They shook their heads no. I felt helpless at that moment because I was no skilled surgeon to help the frog. Feeling sad but motivated, I promised the frog I would never hurt another being again. I have been living up to that promise, but even more than that, I want to save the lives of animals, which I couldn’t do for that frog. Investing much of my time learning about how many species on our planet are going extinct, mostly all due to the fault of humans, has made me realize that this trouble worries me more than any other global problem. If I don’t make an effort to help stop this, I won’t be able to live with myself. That is why I want to follow the pre-veterinary track, specifically majoring in Biomedical Science, so that I can go on to study veterinary medicine after undergrad. Upon graduating I would like to eventually work as a wildlife veterinarian, where at some point I would also like to go to South Africa and help revive the black rhino population that is currently down to about 3,000 mature individuals. By going to work as a vet there, I can help dehorn the rhinos, as many of them are killed by poachers because of how prized the rhinos’ horns are, so by removing them, they wouldn’t be hunted down, and would be able to survive and have offspring. Through my education and pursuit of being a veterinarian, I hope that focusing on revitalizing this species can have a domino effect of bringing more conservation efforts to help other critically endangered species and bring them out of this red zone.

"Okay, I'll run through the nature trail and you guys go in the car". I said in a stern voice to my panicking mom and kid neighbors. I was only 12, but our dog had just run away and the light cloud-filled sky was giving way to a night. We needed to act soon before Pearl, our little rat terrier mutt could get too far. I sprinted for a good five minutes before alas, I could see Pearl barking at a herd of deer on the trail. However, once Pearl spotted me she quickly sprinted in the opposite direction and was getting farther and farther away. Luckily, as my mom was exiting our section of the neighborhood, she spotted Pearl instantly and crept the car close, eventually opening the car door to let Pearl in. Together, thanks to my stepping into a leadership role and devising a plan, we were able to lure Pearl into the car and bring her back home safely before it became dark out. As I adjusted to the demands of high school, I liked to reflect on this memory as a source of confidence as I was insecure about my performance in school (even though I had not just good grades, but was an overall very well-rounded student). Furthermore, being a person of Hispanic background, I found it difficult to see exemplary role models of similar background in high school, which only further led me to feel like an imposter in my advanced classes and also when seeking higher education. I felt like I wasn’t cut out for academia because I hadn't see many people like myself doing what I wanted to do. Not only that but I was frequently placed in groups where I was the only female student. The boys I was placed with talked highly about how easy the lessons came to them, but yet when it was time to begin working on group assignments, no one stepped up to take the lead, so the position fell on my shoulders. Eventually, I began volunteering to take the lead and soon began to be less scared, and more excited, about being the head of the team projects. I truly began to see the impacts of my leadership role when I was presented with the opportunity to be an academic ambassador for my district, which gave me the ability to speak to younger students and incoming freshmen and aid them in navigating the waters of high school academics and more. Through my leadership skills, I strive to be a reflection for other students, so that they know they can achieve so much, as well as overcome self-doubt. Having been in their shoes, I know the world of a difference it makes to see a successful team leader of a similar background in regards to helping combat feelings of unworthiness.

I accidentally cut a frog's spine in half... 8 year old me was devastated to have done such a thing even if my intention had been to block the frog from jumping off the table with a nearby wooden sign. The incident with the frog led me to make the dying creature a promise; to never hurt another living critter again, and to always help an animal in need. So far, I have been living up to that promise. Sticking up to this promise by fostering sick cats, interning at a farm, volunteering my time at a wildlife rehabilitation center, shadowing various medical professionals, as well as being actively involved as a leader in the environment, girl's advocate, and vet clubs at my school, I have also learned so much about myself: first being that I know how to keep a promise, and second, being that I don't want to only spend my spare time aiding animals. Instead, I want my life to be about helping creatures. As I am nearing the end of my high school days, I look forward to University where I plan on majoring in Biomedical Science while following the Pre-Vet track at Texas A&M- College Station. During my time in high school, participation in the previously mentioned leadership positions and clubs, both animal-related and non-animal-related, have gained me effective methods of advocating for what I believe in; hard skills, such as handling & grooming, nutritious feeding, and administration of medicine; and greater awareness about wildlife, all factors that I believe will be of great contribution on my journey towards becoming a Veterinarian. Furthermore, my passion for animals will continue to be my motivation to study hard and saturate myself with as much knowledge revolving around animal medicine. Even from a young age, shortly after the incident with the frog, I fell down a rabbit hole of animal surgery videos after googling somewhere along the lines of “Can surgery be done on frogs?”. My goodness, I loved every second of those gory animal surgery videos. I admired how skilled the veterinarians were in performing surgery in a timely manner and with such confidence. The highlights of the videos for me were seeing the progress reports on the animals’ healing processes, and knowing that without the help of the veterinarians and their staff, the sick animals would have died, especially since many of the animals in the videos were homeless. I am determined to help animals through medicine and accept the challenges on the journey ahead. I plan on accomplishing my goal by applying the skills I have learned from my own experiences both directly and non-directly related to animals, throughout undergrad as I work to become a top candidate for vet schools. My main goal with the insight I have and what I will learn in the future, in regard to a veterinary career, is not only focusing on treating animals (with a special focus on performing surgeries) but on also spending time properly informing pet owners and human communities on the big impacts they play in the lives of an animals well-being.