Ever since I was young, animals have been of interest to me. There is a special place in my heart for animals, and I feel a lot of empathy for them. I always wanted to help any animal out in the streets. All I did was give them food, because I wasn't allowed to take them in. I have a cousin who is currently in a vet school, working towards her doctorate. We share the same interest, and she is who influenced me to this career choice. I am not just following in her footsteps; I want to actually help animals to the best of my ability. As a younger person, I didn't know there was such a thing as a doctor for animals, but when my cousin helped me see through those invisible barriers in my eyes, I instantly knew that was what I wanted to be. I had a spark inside of me that had lots of love for animals; my cousin's path helped me do something important with these feelings. She is part of the reason I was influenced in this pathway. I am now at a school named Carl Wunsche Senior High School, and they have a clinic where real customers leave their pets for us students to groom and take care of. There are also wellness clinics we have every month where we administer medication to them. Doing all of this hands on learning helped me be more sure of this career choice. I had negative family members who would always remind me that I might change my choice in the future; they always said that many people who were sure about their career choice at a young age usually ended up quitting, and that worried me because if I were to change my choice, what else would I do? Thanks to this pet clinic and the hands-on learning I was able to gain from it, I am very sure this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. My passion is to make animals feel safe and healthy. I want to make them feel as good as they can get. With all of this stated, I hope to achieve this goal in the future. Caring about animals and actually taking actions towards their health makes me feel good about myself. I want to make a difference in their life, and I also want their owners to feel like they have a safe pet clinic where they can entrust their animals to us without any worry. I am excited to take steps towards this career choice, and I hope to make all of my dreams of caring for animals come true.

My name is Ximena Rodriguez, and I am a senior at Carl Wunsche Senior High School. My goal in my academic life is to become a veterinary with a bachelor's in animal science and a doctorate. I attend a Pentecostal church called "Casa de Uncion," and I volunteer as a Sunday School teacher aide, and I am also a member of the welcoming committee at my church. I help kids learn more about Jesus, and my goal in this kind of volunteering is to become a teacher and help kids learn more about who God is in their lives. In the welcoming committee, I welcome guests who are walking through the doors with a smile, and I hope that the kindness me and the team give them makes them want to stay at our church and learn more about God. I have also been on the Youth Board for 3 years; this 4th year, I am serving as a secretary. I help the youth feel more welcomed and at home as well. Finally, I serve in the worship team as one of the main pianists. My goal in this position is to be able to serve the Lord and be able to transmit his holy spirit to the congregation through my worship. If I was awarded this scholarship I would use it to help me financially during my academic path. It would be of great help to me so that when I am all graduated I don't have as big a debt in student loans.