Growing up in my parents' veterinary clinic, I always knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. There was never a moment in which I was not surrounded by animals in my household. All of my pets were rescues, some appearing at my house and others being abandoned at the clinic. My upbringing taught me to care for the well-being of animals. I also had an unbreakable bond with my pets because I felt like they understood me better than people. Whenever I was feeling down or felt like I couldn't connect to other people because of my shyness, I could always turn to my pets and they would be there to cheer me up and give me company. When I am around animals, I am happy and I want to provide them happiness in return. However, the true defining moment for me that made me certain of pursuing veterinary medicine was when Dolores Esperanza came to my parents' animal hospital for the first time. Dolores had suffered third to fourth degree burns on over 70% of her body. The rumors were that her previous owners had spilled hot oil over her and released her to streets. She was rescued by Colitas Sonrientes, a non-profit organization, and brought to my parent's clinic. Because of her pain, the rescue group called her Dolores. Seeing her I was enraged at how people could act so cruelly towards animals. The prognosis for Dolores to live was very poor. But the rescue group wanted to give her a chance, and so the long process of treatment and rehabilitation began. There were many nights that my parents thought Dolores wouldn't make it. We are not an emergency clinic, but we had many volunteers that came in to watch her during the day and overnight. Even my 80-year-old grandmother whose husband (my grandfather) had owned the practice before my dad, sat in front of Dolores' kennel to watch her. Dolores needed multiple blood transfusions, and the bandage changes were painful and endless. But Dolores took every step of the process with the utmost grace and patience. Even throughout her suffering she never complained or tried to lash out. She was a strong fighter and every day she subverted all expectations. On one of those nights when Dolores had decompensated, the rescue had organized a prayer group outside of the clinic. People from all over Puerto Rico came to pray for Dolores. Previous to this people had been donating what they could for the cause. She had so much support from Puerto Ricans. That night I was amazed by how one dog could unite a people. We didn't all know each other but we all believed in one same cause. Dolores did survive that night and many months later her burn wounds did heal and she had a reconstruction surgery for one of her upper eyelids. Once she had come out of the danger, she became a symbol of "hope" which is how she got her second name Esperanza. For me, being a veterinarian is about caring for the lowly. The ones who can't defend themselves. Those that bring joy to families. It is about fighting for animal welfare and educating people on the importance of taking care of animals. When I saw what my parents had done with Dolores, I thought they had the coolest job. Even years after this, Dolores still comes to the clinic wagging her tale and gets excited when she sees my dad. She knows what my parents did for her. I want to be like them.

The last and first time I had seen Taylor Swift was during her Reputation tour. When the Eras Tour was announced, I was ecstatic. I signed-up for the pre-fan sale but never got an access code, as millions of other fans. But I had three other friends who had gotten access codes. I was sure that one of them could have gotten a ticket for me. Long story short is that none of them were able to secure one for myself. And I blamed myself for it, as if getting the tickets themselves wasn't difficult. I knew I was being ridiculous. But when you have insecurity issues such as mine, you can't help thinking that they didn't get a ticket for you because you didn't matter that much to them. They regretted not purchasing all 6 tickets afterwards. It was a matter of miscommunication at the end of the day. I couldn't blame them for it. But still that seed of doubt was placed in me because of my history. Recovering from betrayal and the loss of your best friend isn't easy. It happened after the release of 'Red (Taylor's Version)'. I had done much recovery, but that instance taught me there was still room for more growth. I don't want to be the kind of person that is skeptical of their friends. Fastforward to March. The Eras Tour has already begun. I'm following the ErasTourResell group on Twitter, watching different videos of the Eras Tour (but not too much to not spoil the surprise), and reading tweets about people's different reactions. In my mind I know that I have to go to this tour. I don't know how it's going to happen, but I'm hoping for a miracle. And the miracle did happen. The friend who regretted the most not getting enough tickets had an extra ticket when her boyfriend's sister couldn't make it to the tour anymore. When she told me, I was shocked. I was going to the Eras Tour in Philadelphia. Somehow we had come full circle, and I was able to reconcile that broken part of myself. I did matter to her. It's Mother's Day and I'm wearing my 'Red'-inspired outfit. I have a special place for 'Red'. I know what it's like to love someone as if they were a new Maserati and driving down a dead-end street. Not being able to forget them. Have all the memories burning in your mind. Maybe I'm a sadist, or maybe I take pleasure in reclaiming an album that means so much to me. As Taylor did when she re-released it. The emotions are real but perhaps don't take a hold of us as much as they did in the past. Now we can look upon the past in a different light. For me, the Eras Tour was the definition of embodiment. I can understand why some people would pay anything to attend. The high you get from feeling so alive and connected to everyone in the stadium is intoxicating. It's a journey of self-discovery and letting go of emotions. I had a revelation that I'm now more of "Champagne Problems" kind of girl. 'Folklore' is still like medicine for my depression, but "the one" doesn't hurt as much anymore. I definitely felt like I knew more at 18 than 22. My reputation might have been ruined for the person I cared for the most. But there I am standing accepting that I am my own "Anti-Hero" and can still be "Bejeweled". Self-forgiveness is real, and the greatest gift you can give yourself.

At the Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania they train working dogs. From the age of 8 weeks, they take in small puppies to train them to serve in rolls such as search and rescue, scent detection, bite work and dual-purpose K9 police dogs. All the dogs you see are purebred. This is because they're made to do the job they're bred for. Not every dog can do the job that a Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd can do so efficiently. (And they've tried.) Some dogs like Golden Retrievers are great family dogs and no matter how much of a great nose they have, all they want at the end of the day is to cuddle instead of work for the exciting toy or tasty treat. A well-bred and trained dog can do incredible things. I've seen Labrador Retrievers with their noses on the ground searching for the "missing person" in the rubble. They brush past everyone they see as if they're not there. They know they need to find the person they can't see - a person that may or may not be calling out for help. A working dog needs the drive to work. It's not just the intelligence or obedience. Many dogs can be trained to do different commands or tricks. But a working dog lives to work. There is nothing that brings it more happiness. The preservation of purebred dogs is important because these dogs are bred for a purpose. They are being selected to fulfill a certain job, and they must be very good at doing their job. You want a dog that can sniff people for hours in the airport to make sure they are not carrying any illegal substance. And you need dogs that do not hesitate to sniff and run after the criminal and grab them so that they don't escape. These dogs are bred for the safety of human beings. Different breeds serve different purposes. It's important that veterinary medicine becomes proactive in maintaining the health of these breeds so that they can live longer and fuller lives to fulfill their purpose. We must be stewards of proper breeding to help prevent as much as we can different genetic diseases that are prone to develop in certain breeds, and to catch them as early as possible if we can. Genetic testing and OFA testing are just different tools that we can use to understand the predisposition of a purebred dog to develop genetic issues such as a von Willebrand factor deficiency or hip dysplasia. Breeders should be encouraged to get CHIC certification for their dogs to help prevent the passing on of inherited diseases as much as possible. This will ensure that we have not only optimal working dogs, but also healthy family dogs that need to live after the kids go to college. We can maximize the health of all dogs. Whether a family or working dog, their health matters to people.

Taylor Swift's '1989' album takes me back to high school days when I was in the eleventh and twelfth grade. Personal favorites of mine from the album were 'This Love', 'How You Get the Girl', and 'Wildest Dreams' (coincidentally, now realizing as I'm writing this, all consecutively together within the album as tracks 11, 10 and 9 respectively). It was the days of crushing on a boy and wishing he would make a move but also not because I was so shy and honestly still unsure of how I felt. He always talked about moving back to Germany where he was born, and I knew that I could never follow him there because I wanted to stay close to my family in Puerto Rico. But still, in my darkest days in high school, he was the one who was there for me. So I fell hard, even though I tried to avoid it or told myself it was just a silly crush. But as the years passed on, I had to admit to myself that it was more than just that. Now looking back, it's the kind of love that was good and bad. The one I wish I could have had and not lost. The one where I wish he would have known how to get the girl. But also the one I know it wasn't meant to be. I let him go willingly, but still the 'what-ifs' haunted me constantly because he left a permanent mark in me that I could not erase. High school trauma seems to just stick forever and I can't forget the person who helped me through it. In those moments where I felt so invisible and that no one cared about me, when I felt like I had no friends, he was the one who showed me that I was seen. I was able to hide my depression from all of my friends and family but somehow he picked up on it and wouldn't let me slide until I finally caved into his persistence and told him. After high school graduation, he left without a word, and it was the most hurtful thing because I had been left with a gaping hole in my life. My friend was gone. And I wished he would come back. And I tried to reconnect and through the pandemic we finally did, but then it all fell apart again and he left again when he finally did move to Germany without a word or goodbye. The secret hope is to get my friend back. To lose him and then have him back, having good things come back to you. But realistically, I want a friend that will stick with me through the tough times and that won't cast me aside as if our friendship never mattered or it can end without warning. Perhaps I deserve more than this. But you can't stop loving the people who mean so much to you because of how they have impacted you and changed you for the better. So, if I can't have him back, then at least I hope he remembers me in his wildest dreams. Maybe I've cheated a bit talking about three songs. I always find it hard just to choose just one. But if I have to choose one now, perhaps it is 'Wildest Dreams'. Because it's the one that I often find myself singing and know how to play on my guitar and ukelele. The one which seems fitting for my current mental perception: hoping that at least I'm remembered as much as I remember him.

Growing up as the daughter of two veterinarians, I was completely immersed within the world of animal healthcare and welfare. My parents together own a clinic in Puerto Rico and when I was younger I would work with them over summers. I've always had a love for animals because of my animal-loving family. There was never a shortage of pets at home (at one time at most having 12 animals at our house, plus the clinic pets). I'm your typical veterinary student that knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian, and have never faltered in pursuing that dream. But I think for me the first time that I definitively knew I wanted to be a veterinarian and couldn't be anything else was when Dolores Esperanza came to my parents' clinic when I was in the tenth grade. Dolores Esperanza was a Pitbull mix that had suffered third to fourth-degree burns on over 75% of her body. She had been found by a local rescue group called Colitas Sonrientes after her previous owners had apparently burned her with hot oil and thrown her out into the streets, according to the neighbors. The prognosis for Dolores was very grave, and my parents thought that she would not survive. But the rescue group was adamant in trying to do all that was possible for her and they started collecting donations from people who sympathized with Dolores' story. So treatment began, and against all of the odds Dolores did survive. The process to full recovery was a long and arduous one. I remember long nights of staying up with her, not knowing if she would make it through the night. Clinic staff and volunteers would come in and sit by her cage, so she was never alone. Regular bandage changes were always a challenge and undoubtedly painful, but Dolores was always one to seem to push through the pain. In some way, she knew that we were helping her (and to this day every time she sees my dad she gets so excited, wagging her tail and wanting to lick him as if remembering all he did for her). We needed several blood transfusions as well, and after the first transfusion, we got a blood type and crossmatch to get the appropriate blood so she wouldn't react against it. The problem we faced was that we didn't have a blood donor bank in Puerto Rico, and all of the dogs we had were not compatible with her. So when we needed more blood, we needed to order it to the University of Pennsylvania and wait for it to ship. This was the point she was most critical and we were so afraid that Dolores wouldn't survive while we waited for the blood to arrive. And I remember that on one of those nights we did a prayer circle outside in the parking lot of the clinic. People from all over the island had come to pray for Dolores. In that moment I was so amazed by what one dog could do to unify people and hope for a good cause. So she was named Dolores Esperanza. I want to study veterinary medicine because I want to help animals in need of medical care. Often times we as humans are so anthropocentric and cast animals aside as if they were tools or nothing of importance. I want to work for those living creatures that deserve our love and respect. I want to be the one that gives them the attention they need when others easily ignore them.

In 2024 I will graduate from veterinary school. In three years I will still be a recently graduated veterinary student, testing out my wings and trying to be the best animal health professional I can be. I hope that at that time I will have a good mentor who can guide me as I enter into the veterinary profession. Even if I have left veterinary school, I will still be learning and trying to hone my veterinary skills. I don't know exactly where I will be in three years. My goal is to eventually return to my home Puerto Rico. I am very passionate about the current crisis we have of animal homelessness on the island. So many dogs and cats find themselves on the streets of Puerto Rico, and very few of them get adopted on the island after being rescued. Many of the rescue groups on the island collaborate with veterinarians to give these animals a second opportunity and a happy and healthy life. Often times after seeking veterinary care, these animals are then shipped on airplanes to shelters on the mainland US. I wish to contribute to these efforts of finding these beautiful animals homes. I also want to contribute to the massive spay/neuter and vaccination clinics so that we can decrease the amount of animals that find themselves homeless and provide the basic services for pet owners with low income. All animals deserve to have their life respected with dignity and access to good healthcare when possible. However, I am unsure whether I will be pursuing a specialty/residency before returning home. There are not many veterinary specialists in Puerto Rico. It would be very beneficial to my people if I could become a Board Certified veterinarian because I could provide them services that otherwise they might not have found on the island. If I do decide to go down the route of specializing, it would be either in Shelter Medicine or Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation for dogs (and cats) is a relatively new and growing field. At the University of Pennsylvania I have been very blessed with having the Working Dog Center (WDC). In fact, in the summers of 2018 and 2019 I had volunteered and interned respectively at the WDC and I realized that I loved sports medicine for dogs. As an intern, I was assigned to the single-purpose (scent detection) team and a Golden Retriever named Riley. He was the cutest and friendliest boy with the most incredible nose. He was really good at detecting and alerting at the scent he was taught. Unfortunately, he failed the program after I left because he only worked on his own terms and he was more pet motivated (in true Golden Retriever fashion) than food or toy motivated. I learned so much from Riley and the WDC, and the WDC opened my eyes to other possibilities for veterinarians that I had never thought of. I came to PennVet because of how much I enjoyed that experience. My ideal would be to focus more on the rehabilitation side of the field as I think it would be more applicable for pets in Puerto Rico. I could provide rehabilitation services such as laser therapy and acupuncture, and teach clients how to do at-home exercises with their dogs. So, if I do pursue the route of residency, I hope that I am in a clinic with a good work/life balance that is teaching me all I need to know about the specialty and providing me all the tools I need to pass my boards.

My grandfather Paul passed away the Summer after my sophomore year of undergrad. He had suffered a heart attack in the Spring of that year and had open heart surgery performed. He survived the procedure, but he would never fully recover from it. Being away from my home Puerto Rico, I was a bit removed from the status of my grandfather's health. I solely relied on what my parents told me, which was never the full story. My grandfather was born in New York. He was was a calm and stoic soul. A man of 6.5 feet, his height was perhaps imposing but his nature was pure tenderness. He was brilliant and loved to write. Nearly daily he would journal all the memories he wanted to remember in the future. Paul was an animal nutritionist and moved to Puerto Rico to become a professor at the University of Puerto Rico. Eventually he met my grandmother, a fiery woman of less than 5 feet. The two of them couldn't have been any more different. But like opposite poles of a magnet, they were attracted to each other and inseperable. Crimilda was bold and hard-headed. She always had to get her way, and liked ot be orderly and disciplined. It didn't matter how short she was, she was the scary one of the pair. Paul was not as verbally opinionated as her. He liked to ponder before he spoke and did not have the same vivaciousness. He tried to avoid conflicts, except when he truly didn't agree. My grandfather had strong beliefs, and he was like an unmovable mountain when it came to what he stood for. Paul never retired from his job. Until he was hospitalized, he had continued tutoring and visiting the 'Estacion Experimental en Lajas'. There was no way you could separate him from his students and cows. He also liked to travel, and a bad hip he didn't want to get surgery on never stopped him from getting on planes on his own. I felt a special connection to him not only because of our shared love of animals, but also in the ways I resembled him. My family for years made remarks about how I acted and expressed myself similarly to Paul. I also admired him. He wasn't a religious man like the rest of my family, but he could have been the holiest one of all of us. As a philantropist, he donated money to many organizations, including various Native American charities. And as grandfather he would gift me Cousteau Kids magazines every time I visited, and that's how I began learning about the different species and environments in the world. When he died, I was in Philadelphia taking Microbiology to fulfill one of my vet school requirements. That summer I was dedicating my studies to him. I wanted him to be proud of me when I finally got into vet school, just like my mother did. Unfortunately, he never got to see me accomplish my lifelong dream. My parents didn't tell me when he died. I had an exam the Monday following his death. They wanted me to focus on my studies, so I took the exam not knowing my grandfather had died. I didn't even get to go to the funeral. I was furious. I don't think I ever got to properly mourn the my grandfather's death because of how mad I was. My parents blindsided me, and to this day the resentment I felt continues to affect me. I didn't succumb to grief as my parents feared I would. Instead, I was determined to make my grandfather proud from heaven. I channeled my anger into studying with fervor, and passed the class with an A. Microbiology was the one class I couldn't take at my undergrad, but that I needed to take to get into the University of Pennsylvania. If I had been at home that summer, I might not be today at my dream school for veterinary medicine. Back then Paul would have told me to not worry about his health. I was chasing after my path in life. That is what would have made him happy, not me standing next to his deathbed. My grandfather did everything he could to inspire me to be a person that cares about the world. I lost the person I admired the most, but it is in chasing my dreams that I continue to keep his legacy alive. He made so many sacrifices for my mom and me, and I stand where I am today because of the things he did to guide me here. His memory is not lost because just like him I continue to stubbornly march through life focusing on what I am meant to do for the world.

The one book that I would recommend everyone to read is "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle. While the memoir is meant to inspire women to free themselves from the mental cages that society has forced us into, I highly recommend it for all people no matter which gender they identify as. In her book, Glennon recounts the story of how she fell in love with Abby Wambach. Before releasing "Untamed", Glennon wrote "Love Warrior", the story of how her husband cheated on her and how together they were fighting to repair their marriage. It was meant to be a success story, one that would show other women that they could fight for their family and make things right again. But during the tour, Glennon met Abby and she knew from that moment on that Abby was the woman that would complete Glennon's life and make her happy. "Untamed" is the raw and brave story of a woman who was trapped by the expectations society had put on her, but who discovered that she needed to free herself to be the best gift she could be to both her family and the world. It's a story about discovering your own truths, following your gut and disappointing everyone else but yourself. As a highly insecure and people-pleasing person, this story resonated with me because it gave me a reason to stop stomping my self-worth to the ground. I always put other's feelings and emotions first before my own. I am exceptionally selfless, and will sacrifice my own well-being just to satisfy others. I am the girl that has to know all the answers, and get the highest grades at school. That has to stay skinny, but not too skinny that I look like "I'm going to disappear". The girl that has to be the perfect role model. To make all the right choices or face the disappointment of my family. I am the girl who goes wherever her friends want to go even if I feel uncomfortable because at least they're enjoying themselves. Glennon inspires me to follow my own "Knowing". That voice in my head that knows what is right for me. In her memoir, she shows how by liberating ourselves we are the true powerhouses that can change society and serve others in the best way possible. Broken people don't fix society. Whole and authentic ones do.