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“Love and see the person who is in front of you, even if they offer you nothing". Father Mike shares God's word with the public on his podcast. I pick up what God, through Father Mike, has put down. Hearing God's word spoken through this trusted Priest moved me. Throughout all of college, I had come to interact with various kinds of people with different personalities and attitudes. Many of them have been great and played a vital role in my life, helping me understand the various ways in which people have and view life and move through its waters. However, the only people I had never thought to have been able to learn from, were those who I had only considered to have been "bogged down” by, so to speak. What I mean to say by this, is that these individuals ranged from those who had been mostly students who had judged me and belittled my work and accomplishments, to those who were kind, but filled my day with chatter that only got in the way of the time I believed could have been better used studying. But now hearing this word of advice from God lets me reflect on these "road-blocker” types of people with a new lens: one in which I no longer see them as a nuisance but as people who need not only to be seen, but more than that, loved. Long ago, as a small child, I had made God a promise that I would love all people- and I mean all people- my own enemies and the worst of the criminals on this Earth. But it seemed that I had forgotten this vow and the people who had been easy to forget. Luckily, hearing this profound Sunday homily served as the reminder that as a human, it is my duty to care & take in the person present right in front of me, even those who I deem as people who will not be able to offer anything in return. This obligation of mine is especially important as an aspiring physician, with the aim to better my community through the avenue of healthcare, with a focus on serving rural and minority groups. Many of these individuals will find it difficult to be able to cover medical bills and afford treatments, so I do not expect to receive much compensation from them, but their lives matter all the same as any other patient or human life. I am so very grateful to God for allowing me to have learned this wisdom in my undergraduate studies before continuing on with higher education, and Godwilling, attending to my own patients. I have begun practicing this virtue since recognizing I lacked the ability to be aware of and notice those I had originally perceived as those who'd benefit me little, if at all. Thanks to my unwavering faith in God and his guidance, I understand what a difference it is that each and every person who comes my way knows that they are seen and loved, and I'm making sure they know this by the simple act of remembering each and everybody's names, faces, and stories.

When asked to speak about my mother, I always ask, "Which mother?" I have two: Mami, who gave birth to me, and Mamochka, who used to be my father but is now too my mother. Both have shaped me into the young woman I am today. When Mamochka came out as trans, I realized I too needed to live authentically because we only get one life. Mami taught me the importance of making decisions that align with my happiness—not to please others, because it’s my life to live. While my parents and their words of wisdom encouraged me to pursue a career that met my own desires and skills, I initially held back from embarking on the field of work that was calling my heart because of my fear of failure. This culminated in feeling so lost about what I was doing with my life during my first year of college. I used to wonder what were all those brutal hours of studying for if I didn't even have an end goal in sight. I could feel the burnout kicking in and no one knew it, but one day, feeling so drained and losing direction, I confessed to my parents that I was unsure of my path and I was ready to throw in the towel. It was hard telling them that their "golden child" truthfully felt amiss. Upon hearing my uncertainty, my parents shocked me by telling me that it was completely normal to be feeling this way and they were not at all disappointed in my wanting to change career paths. In fact, they still supported me in whichever endeavor I wanted to pursue, and if I still didn’t want to know what that was, they'd back me in taking a gap semester to give me time to understand myself better. I had been expecting a stern lecture about how much of an investment they were making in education but was pleasantly surprised by their understanding. Now that I had voiced my doubts aloud, I could really introspect myself. I uncovered the truth that my heart longed to help my community by one day serving as a physician. For so long I had been plagued with self-doubt about my ability to succeed, despite my stellar grades and seeming ability to juggle extracurriculars, that I pushed thoughts of pursuing medical school out of my periphery. I frequently compared myself to others and I felt that I just wasn't capable of being able to pursue higher education. Eventually I told my parents about this fear and they laughed telling me this simply was not true, as they had witnessed me in the past also have similar bouts of doubt, but yet had proved myself wrong by confronting challenges. Thanks to my mothers’ encouragement and unwavering belief in me, I’ve come this far. Recently, I was thrilled to learn I’ve been offered a spot in Texas A&M University College of Medicine’s Rural and Underserved Populations (RUP) Program! This scholarship would allow me to focus on becoming the compassionate and dedicated physician I aspire to be without the heavy financial burden that often accompanies medical education. I would use the funds to cover critical expenses such as tuition, textbooks, and medical equipment, ensuring that I can fully concentrate on my studies and clinical training. By alleviating financial stress, this scholarship would give me the freedom to pursue my passion for addressing healthcare disparities and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Through every action I take—whether roughhousing with a foster dog, translating for Spanish-speaking families at a local food pantry, feeding spoonfuls of green beans to a hospice patient, or studying for an organic chemistry exam—I strive to embody a spirit of excellence. My goal is not only to help others in the moment but also to educate and prepare myself to better serve my community in the future as a physician. My love for helping others, particularly through community service, wasn’t always obvious to me. It was a realization that unfolded unexpectedly one summer day. With free time after finishing a physics course, I felt restless, wandering around the house in search of purpose. A foster puppy caught my eye, and as I let her out into the backyard, the summer heat felt surprisingly mild. On a whim, I laced up my worn Adidas sneakers and headed for the park. After circling the trails, I still felt unsatisfied. The journey wasn’t enough, and I found myself drawn to continue further—even if it meant crossing a bustling intersection and venturing under a bridge frequented by river bats. With nerves tingling, I waited for the light to turn red, darted across the street, and followed the path until I arrived at the Round Rock Serving Center. I hadn’t been there since high school, back when volunteering felt like an obligation to meet graduation requirements. Standing in front of the double doors, I hesitated, unsure if I even remembered how things worked. Summoning my courage, I pushed through, greeted by the familiar hum of activity—volunteers buzzing around and families waiting for assistance. After logging in, I was assigned to stock shelves in the food pantry. As I organized cans of green beans and soup, I noticed several families struggling to communicate with the volunteers. Many of them were monolingual Spanish speakers, and I knew I could help. Though I wasn’t fluent, I’d practiced enough Spanish to hold conversations. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and offered to translate. The look of relief on both the volunteer’s and the family’s faces filled me with purpose. For the remainder of my shift, I guided families through the pantry, ensuring they received the food their families needed. That evening, I returned home glowing with excitement, recounting the day to my mom. The experience awakened something in me—a deep sense of fulfillment I hadn’t felt before. I returned to the serving center the next day and many days after that, eventually encouraging friends to join me. Watching them experience the same joy strengthened my belief in the power of service. This experience reshaped my understanding of community and inspired me to integrate service into every aspect of my life. Whether mentoring university freshmen as a sophomore advisor, working in a neurobiology research lab to expand my knowledge, or supporting underserved communities through volunteering, I approach each task with excellence and the intention to uplift others. By combining my academic pursuits, cultural awareness, and service experiences, I aim to continue giving back to my community, following the path of excellence that has guided me thus far.

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.