I choose to study veterinary medicine to help those who do not have a voice to advocate for themselves. A prime example of why I am pursuing this path is not only to help the animal, but also to help the owner understand what is happening and help them be a better pet owner in the future. A defining moment that cemented the decision to pursue veterinary medicine happened a couple summers ago. I was on my way to work when my sister called me panicked, she was working from home when my cat started to have a seizure. She took my cat to the emergency clinic for examination, but by the time she arrived the seizures had stopped, and my cat was acting normal. The veterinarian ran some bloodwork, diagnosed my cat with a brain tumor, wrote down the name of a neurologist for us to contact, and sent my sister home. A friend of mine happened to work at this clinic, so she printed out the bloodwork results and sent them home with my sister so I could see them when I got home later. Now, I cannot say that my cat doesn’t have a brain tumor as we decided not to pursue further diagnostic imaging, but I can say that the bloodwork was suggestive of dehydration. My sister is not a medical person, so when the veterinarian told her that my cat might have a brain tumor, she was heartbroken, scared, and confused. She also felt that they were dismissive of her concerns. Once I had looked at the bloodwork, I felt frustrated with the care my cat had received because it appeared that there may have been a simple solution, or at least a level of supportive care that could have been provided to her at the time, and they sent her home with minimal examination and no clear answers. In short summary of this story, I want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine to provide the best possible care to every animal that enters my exam room. I believe that veterinary medicine serves more than just the animal in front of you. The biggest take away message I learned in the graduate certificate program for shelter medicine was that all beings are connected. Keeping animals healthy also involved keeping the people who care for them healthy. Beyond this, healthy people will build and contribute to healthy communities. While veterinary medicine focuses closely on the animal aspect of this interconnected relationship, I hope to contribute to many aspects.

I began playing rugby in 2021 because I missed the comradery of being on a sports team. I quickly discovered that rugby is more than just a team, it is a family and a community that is accepting to every person and every body type. This was a unique experience and I immediately fell in love with the sport and the people that participate. When the team at my college started to dissolve I worked with a small group of dedicated players to build up our team again. When I graduated the team was more than triple the size it was when I started. I continued to develop my skills by trying out for a U23 team hosted by the local Major League Rugby team, the Freejacks. While the Freejacks is a men's team, they have been greatly involved in building up the overall rugby community in New England. The environment at those practices was very encouraging and the coaches truly pushed you to be a better player in many ways. I have continued to keep rugby close in my heart by playing with a local women's club. I have played with this team while pursuing my Master's degree and have teammates that are doing the same. On this team, I met another teammate that is now attending veterinary school. Now, I have been accepted to the same school that she attends and she has told me that she still finds time to play rugby with a local team out in Arizona. Even if I attend a different school, I have been reassured that rugby exists everywhere and there are likely to be local teams at any veterinary school. Knowing that my former teammate and others find time to keep sports in their life while attending a professional program gives me hope that I can continue to play. My main concern with attending veterinary school is that I will struggle to pay rent and other bills. Veterinary school is highly demanding on your time and requires hours of study to stay on top of material. I also do not have an in-state option which means I need to move and that comes with a cost, as does rent. I fear that time outside of the classroom may need to be spend at a job working long hours in order to afford the cost of living. My former teammate may find time to play, but she is also in the military reserves and may be in a different financial situation than I will be. Sports and exercise has been very important for maintaining a positive mental health status. I hope to continue having the love and support in my life that a rugby team has offered for the past four years.

In August 2019, less than a month before I started college, a close family friend, who was like a grandmother to me, passed away. She had always been so proud of the person I was becoming. Then, my grandfather was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November of 2020. From then till February 2021 his health steadily declined. He passed away on Valentine's day and I am thankful to have spent most of that day by his side. He was always willing to listen to my dreams, and supported me in everything. Now that these two very influential people are gone, I have even more of a reason to stay on the track I've chosen. It was difficult to navigate through life without these two people, but ultimately I have to keep pushing. Every day I think about them, and it motivates me to continue with my dream of being a veterinarian. When I find myself feeling lost or alone, I think of what they would've said to me and that gives me the strength to carry on. Having deep connections with people is something I would never take for granted. I try to spend as much time as I can with the people I treasure most.

I live in a small, poor, farming town in New Hampshire. In my community and around the world, I've seen that there is a lot of food insecurity. Community gardens, community food banks, and school food programs are influential ways to make a difference for those struggling with food insecurity. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as "A lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life." Food insecurity affects many different people, but the most vulnerable people are those in single-parent households or households that have an income below the poverty line. Growing fruits and vegetables in a community garden is a way of providing food-insecure individuals with healthy foods that they might not be able to afford at the local store. I have helped plant a community garden multiple times, and the food that is grown is distributed to local food banks for those that need it. For over twenty years, the churches in my community have worked together to run a food pantry that serves the people of our town and nearby towns as well. The members of these churches make donations of non-perishable food items which are then taken to the food pantry and distributed to those in need. Many community members rely on the food pantry to feed their families. When a child does not have access to an adequate amount of food, they may develop other health issues and have cognitive problems. My community works hard to ensure that all school-aged children have access to breakfast and lunch each day. People have even organized a program that packages lunches for these children to have over the weekends when they are not physically coming into the school. Food insecurity has long been an issue that faces many communities, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it even harder for some people. Fewer people were allowed to help with the planting of community gardens due to social distancing and fear of infection. In some towns, the food banks were running out of food faster than normal or were closed due to the pandemic. Lastly, children were not attending school in-person to receive their daily meals. Despite the challenges that the pandemic brought, community members still found a way to help. Smaller groups of people met and packaged meals for the children that had needed them. They would then drive around town with a school bus and pass out these meals. Food insecurity became a more publicized topic in media during the COVID-19 pandemic and many communities were finding ways to help. I distinctly remember a news story about a woman who decided to bake multiple lasagnas for people to have access to a hot meal. Each action that helps food insecure people makes a difference in the community. I would like to eventually see that these efforts have led to the end of food insecurity and people are no longer living below the poverty line. Access to food should be a basic human right and I hope that all the efforts being made to help the less fortunate inspire more people to make a difference in their communities.