the goals you will achieve in ten years
I love animals. I love caring for them. I love observing them in their natural habitats. I love learning from them. Most of all, I love how animals have shaped me into the person I am today. During the entirety of my eighteen years of life, I have been a passionate animal lover and advocate, caring for strays, protecting injured animals until authorities arrive, and poring over animal encyclopedias to discover everything I could about these beautiful creatures.
I believe that my love for the critters big and small who we share the planet with arose from the feeling that I can relate to them. For the first several years of my life, I could not speak because of high-functioning autism, which I continue to manage today. I still remember the frustration of struggling to express myself to others and the guilt I felt at their frustration of being unable to communicate with me. I remember that animals and their wordless love became one of my solaces until I was adopted by my forever mom, who taught me American Sign Language (ASL) so we could communicate until I began to speak.
My biological mother was young and unable to care for a child - especially one with autism, so it was not unusual for me to be tossed from one person to another before I met my forever mom. Although she was finishing school to become a teacher while working multiple jobs, she still stepped up to care for me, a little girl in need of a home. Her selflessness, kindness, and determination inspire me every day to achieve my dreams and conquer any obstacles I encounter.
I hope to emulate the values my mother instilled within me to help animals across the United States. I am a freshman in college, double-majoring in Biology and Veterinary Science. My goals during my college years include earning straight A's and gathering more experience with animals in a clinical setting by shadowing different veterinarians, volunteering at animal shelters, and getting a job at a pet store. This experience will also prepare me for success in Veterinary School once I complete my undergraduate degrees.
The dream I am working to make a reality in ten years is to graduate Veterinary School eight years from now and pay off my student loans within the next two years. This scholarship would help me achieve my goal of paying off my student loans quickly so I can begin saving to buy and expand my own veterinary practice. Eventually, I hope to build a huge animal hospital with floors for all different veterinary specialties: reptile, small mammals, feline, canine, and more.
I also want to work with veterinarians and shelter owners to open a no-kill animal shelter for many species near the hospital, where we will do our part to reduce animal homelessness, rescue animals from abuse, and give animals the care they deserve. This animal shelter will double as a small museum for the public to help raise awareness about animal welfare and inspire people of all ages to become animal advocates.
Animals are beautiful and play a vital role in the balance of our world. They also provide companionship and love, even without words. My struggles with communication helped me become more intuitive to the needs of those without words; when I began to speak, I became a voice for the voiceless. Being a veterinarian is not just about playing with happy animals; a veterinarian must prepare to heal abused dogs, a cat that got hit by a car, a malnourished lizard, and other heartbreaking examples. It is the veterinarian's job to put the animal first, which takes emotional strength and deep passion. This is what I am prepared to do.
Four years ago, I glimpsed a skinny black cat with patchy fur running in my neighborhood. Then I heard a pop, pop and to my horror, looked over to see my neighbor shooting at the cat with a BB gun. As the cat sprinted away, I screamed at them to stop. They had been shooting at the cat because it was black and "unlucky." I spoke with them about why that superstition was wrong and inhumane, then went to see if I could gain the cat's trust. I left out some leftover chicken and a bowl of water on my porch, and the next morning I saw the cat contentedly curled up on my porch with the chicken gone.
I grabbed some more chicken and went outside. The cat was timid at first, running and hiding, but over the next few days, he realized I was the one feeding him and came up to me when I came outside. I spent more time with him, gaining his trust through food and love. He became healthier-looking, no longer skinny with patchy fur, but strong and beautiful. It was clear he'd had a previous owner because of how friendly he was; even the neighbor who had originally shot at him admitted that he was a sweet cat. After he stayed with me for a while, I took him to a no-kill shelter to see if he had a chip or if his previous owners were looking for him.
Luckily, he had a chip! He had been with a family from when he was a kitten. They had moved from Germany to Japan to my state with him. Months before, he'd gotten into a fight with a neighbor's cat and the neighbor had stolen him and dropped him off miles away from his home. His family was in tears when they were reunited, and I was glad that he was healthy and in his loving home once again.
Many of the animals I have cared for were hurt, malnourished, or severely neglected, but through patience and love each one recovered and transformed into their best selves - somewhat like myself when my mother adopted me. As a veterinarian and eventual founder of a multi-specialty animal hospital and shelter, I will be able to save countless animals, bring them to optimal health, and educate caretakers on how to best care for them.
Unfortunately, the United States is one of the worst offenders for animal homelessness, neglect, and abuse. For centuries, humans have taken advantage of animals and their homes with no regard for the consequences. Many people don't even realize the role they are playing in degrading animal welfare. I will use my education, experience, passion - as well as my mother's values of kindness and selflessness - to protect and care for Earth's creatures and inspire others to do the same through outreach.
I love animals. I plan to dedicate the rest of my life to ensuring they are loved, healthy, protected, and cared for. By spreading knowledge about animals and how to best help them, humans can work together to improve animal welfare in America and around the world. We can work together to give all of God's creatures the love they deserve.
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The prompt was to write an essay on "the goals you will achieve in ten years." What do you think? Is it too cliche or does it ramble? Does it connect everything okay? Is it interesting? Thank you for your help!
