When my middle school science teacher introduced cells, organelles, and basic anatomy, I became fascinated. From there my curiosity and love of problem solving took hold. I took as many science courses as I could and became a lifeguard and water safety instructor. I learned through my science courses, emergency care, and teaching that I loved the satisfaction that came when I discovered how a molecular system worked or watched as the kids in my swim lesson classes progressed to become better swimmers. I also learned through being a lifeguard that I work well under pressure and am able to communicate well with others even in tense situations. During my undergraduate experience, I headed a research project in molecular plant genetics and published an honors senior thesis. While I still loved problem solving, I realized I missed the face to face communication with people and seeing the direct results of helping someone. It was then, amidst the beginning of the pandemic, that I decided to start working at a local animal quick care and realized that I wanted to become a veterinarian. I wanted to be the person that when brought in a patient could work under pressure to solve life threatening problems and return animals healed back to their owners. I want to become a veterinarian because I want to make a difference. A difference in both the lives of animals and people. I am task oriented, detail oriented, curious, ambitious, work well under pressure, work well with both people and animals, and have a strong background in genetics research. For these reasons, I bring a unique background to the field. The dream would be to either work with small animals in an emergency hospital while doing research or potentially some mixed animal practice. I am currently a rising second year at Tuft Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and can’t wait to see where my veterinary education continues to take me.