In the winter of 2018, during my third month in the United States, I stumbled upon a website featuring a striking image of adorable dogs. Despite my limited English proficiency, one statistic stood out: over 70 million homeless animals in the U.S. Shocked, I thought of Miss. Potato, our beloved family dog since 2009, whom we found as a 5-week-old puppy on a freezing winter night in Beijing, China. She had become a cherished part of our family, even moving with us to America. Why couldn’t all homeless animals have a story like hers? This realization inspired my goal: to advocate for adopting homeless animals and providing them with loving homes. Eager to help, I sought volunteer opportunities at local animal shelters. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted my plans, as shelters halted recruitment. Undeterred, I focused on improving my English and researching homeless animal care, preparing for the day I could contribute. In 2022, when shelters reopened, I applied and was accepted as a volunteer. I started as a dog walker and, two months later, became a vet tech volunteer, leveraging my self-taught knowledge of animal care. My excitement was tempered by the harsh realities of animal homelessness. During my second week as a vet tech volunteer, I cared for a 5-day-old puppy found on the street. While cradling the tiny creature, dreaming of its future, it suddenly passed away in my arms. The veterinarian confirmed its death, likely from an undiagnosed illness. This heart-wrenching moment revealed a painful truth: unlike pets with families, homeless animals often lack even basic health care. This experience deepened my understanding of the challenges faced by homeless animals and the systemic barriers to veterinary care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 4.3% of licensed veterinarians are Asian males. With over 6 million Chinese immigrants in the U.S., many face language and cultural barriers when seeking veterinary care, leaving their pets underserved. My bilingual background positions me uniquely to bridge this gap, helping Chinese pet owners access essential services. Additionally, I’ve observed cultural differences between Chinese and American pet owners, including a preference for purebred animals over rescues. My shelter work highlighted the need to educate Chinese families about the societal, environmental, and economic benefits of adopting homeless animals. While finding adoptive families for homeless animals remains critical, I realized an even greater priority: ensuring their physical health. This led me to redefine my goal—to become a veterinarian dedicated to the health and well-being of homeless animals. Despite the limitations of my F2 visa, which prohibits paid employment, I committed all my free time to volunteering at the shelter. Though my school requires only 75 volunteer hours for graduation, I’ve accumulated nearly 450 hours. During this time, I’ve gained hands-on experience in testing for diseases, administering vaccines, operating medical equipment, treating wounds, assisting in surgeries, and monitoring post-operative care. Miss. Potato, now 14 years old, peacefully snores at my feet, a testament to the love and care she’s received. Her story reminds me why I’ve chosen this path. My ultimate ambition is to ensure every homeless animal’s journey is as fortunate as hers, filled with love, health, and a second chance at life.

In the winter of 2018, during my third month in the United States, I stumbled upon a website featuring a striking image of adorable dogs that immediately captured my attention. Due to my limited English proficiency at the time, I couldn't fully comprehend the content related to the picture. My mum directed my focus to the number displayed alongside the image, revealing that there were more than 70 million homeless animals in the United States! As I looked down at Miss. Potato, our family's beloved pet dog since 2009, memories came flooding back. We had discovered her when she was just 5 weeks old on a frigid winter night on a street in Beijing, China. She had become a cherished member of our family ever since and had even journeyed with us to America. Why can't all homeless dogs have the same fortune as Miss. Potato? This led me to set my initial goal: advocate for everyone to adopt homeless animals and provide each homeless animal a cozy residence In pursuit of this goal, I sought opportunities to work in local animal shelters and assist homeless animals. Unfortunately, COVID-19 disrupted my plans. Volunteer recruitment at animal shelters came to a halt. Undeterred, I embarked on a determined journey to improve my English skills, delving into websites and books related to homeless animals, all in anticipation of the reopening of volunteer applications. In 2022, when the shelters resumed normal operations, I submitted my application and was successfully accepted as a volunteer. Initially, I was volunteer primarily responsible of walking dogs. Two months later, with the years of reading that I've done and the animal care experiences, I successfully became a vet tech volunteer. I was filled with excitement at the prospect of helping other homeless animals find loving families. However, reality delivered a lesson. During my second week as a vet tech volunteer, I had the opportunity to care for a 5-day-old puppy who was recently discovered on the street. As the tiny creature snoozed in my lap, I gently patted its back, pondering the type of family that would be fortunate enough to adopt such an adorable creature. Suddenly, the snoring ceased; the puppy's body stiffened and fell lifeless on my lap. The veterinarian administered a dose of pentobarbital, a common medication used for animal euthanasia. This little one has departed from this world. At that moment, a stark reality hit me: not all animals are as fortunate as Miss. Potato. Unlike pet animals, homeless animals, lacking family cares, often have their basic health needs overlooked! It became clear to me that while it’s important for every homeless animal to find an adoptive family, what’s even more crucial is that, no matter where they are, their physical health conditions should be monitored and treated accodingly. Therefore, I redefined my goal: to become a veterinarian and dedicate my entire life to caring for the health of homeless animals. I dedicated all my available free time to volunteer at animal shelter; to date, I have accumulated nearly 450 volunteer hours working at the animal shelter, gaining knowledge and experience in testing for and vaccinating against diseases, operating medical equipment to conduct fecal floats, ear cytology, heartworm tests, and FeLV tests, treating and dressing wounds, assisting in surgery preparation, and monitoring animals post-surgery. When I looked down at Miss. Potato again, peacefully snoring at my feet, having recently celebrated her 14th birthday, I reaffirmed my ultimate ambition: contributing my whole life to make every homeless animal's journey as lucky as Miss Potato's, filled with love and care.

In the winter of 2018, during my third month in the United States, I stumbled upon a website featuring a striking image of adorable dogs that immediately captured my attention. Due to my limited English proficiency at the time, I couldn't fully comprehend the content related to the picture. My mum directed my focus to the number displayed alongside the image, revealing that there were more than 70 million homeless animals in the United States! As I looked down at Miss. Potato, our family's beloved pet dog since 2009, memories came flooding back. We had discovered her when she was just 5 weeks old on a frigid winter night on a street in Beijing, China. She had become a cherished member of our family ever since and had even journeyed with us to America. Why can't all homeless dogs have the same fortune as Miss. Potato? This led me to set my initial goal: advocate for everyone to adopt homeless animals and provide each homeless animal a cozy residence In pursuit of this goal, I sought opportunities to work in local animal shelters and assist homeless animals. Unfortunately, COVID-19 disrupted my plans. Volunteer recruitment at animal shelters came to a halt. Undeterred, I embarked on a determined journey to improve my English skills, delving into websites and books related to homeless animals, all in anticipation of the reopening of volunteer applications. In 2022, when the shelters resumed normal operations, I submitted my application and was successfully accepted as a volunteer. Initially, I was volunteer primarily responsible of walking dogs. Two months later, with the years of reading that I've done and the animal care experiences, I successfully became a vet tech volunteer. I was filled with excitement at the prospect of helping other homeless animals find loving families. However, reality delivered a lesson. During my second week as a vet tech volunteer, I had the opportunity to care for a 5-day-old puppy who was recently discovered on the street. As the tiny creature snoozed in my lap, I gently patted its back, pondering the type of family that would be fortunate enough to adopt such an adorable creature. Suddenly, the snoring ceased; the puppy's body stiffened and fell lifeless on my lap. The veterinarian administered a dose of pentobarbital, a common medication used for animal euthanasia. This little one has departed from this world. At that moment, a stark reality hit me: not all animals are as fortunate as Miss. Potato. Unlike pet animals, homeless animals, lacking family cares, often have their basic health needs overlooked! It became clear to me that while it’s important for every homeless animal to find an adoptive family, what’s even more crucial is that, no matter where they are, their physical health conditions should be monitored and treated accodingly. Therefore, I redefined my goal: to become a veterinarian and dedicate my entire life to caring for the health of homeless animals. I dedicated all my available free time to volunteer at animal shelter; to date, I have accumulated nearly 450 volunteer hours working at the animal shelter, gaining knowledge and experience in testing for and vaccinating against diseases, operating medical equipment to conduct fecal floats, ear cytology, heartworm tests, and FeLV tests, treating and dressing wounds, assisting in surgery preparation, and monitoring animals post-surgery. When I looked down at Miss. Potato again, peacefully snoring at my feet, having recently celebrated her 14th birthday, I reaffirmed my ultimate ambition: contributing my whole life to make every homeless animal's journey as lucky as Miss Potato's, filled with love and care.