Love of animal spurs career choice

I thought my dad was a magician. My siblings did as well. Every so often, we would go out into our large backyard and he would say, "Cierren sus ojos." (Close your eyes.) We would comply, excited at what was to come.

The first time my dad showed us his "magic trick," it was by accident. My mom was not home, and he did not know how to keep us busy and out of trouble -- anyone who has raised young children (7-, 6-, and 4-year-olds, me being the youngest) knows how hard it is to do that. So we closed our eyes. Cuenten a diez. By now, we knew the steps, but he still liked to tell us what to do. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro... there were no sounds. Cinco. I could not wait to open my eyes. Siete. Acuerdense, no miren antes de tiempo. Remember, no peeking. Diez. My eyes flew open, and my dad had a bird cupped in his hands.

"Dad, how do you do it?"

"That's for me to know and you never to find out."

I think it was then that a certain tenderness and intrigue for all animals was born. As my dad held those birds in his hands, I examined them and their small heads, their beady eyes, the soft feathers, and felt a curious attachment towards the living creature nestled in my father's hands, calm except for the occasional ruffle of feathers. I knew that, when I grew up, I wanted to work with animals. I didn't know what I wanted to be, of course. Growing up in California, we would often take trips to Marine World or Monterey Bay, and I dreamed about being a marine biologist -- not that I knew the name at the time, but I knew I wanted to be like one of the people that worked with the sea creatures. The moment I decided to be a veterinarian came just three years later.

My parents had a story that they would tell us about a family of squirrels that lived in a tree trunk, and they loved each other. But one day, the youngest squirrel got lost, and could not find her way home. I felt so sorry for the baby squirrel. As chance would have it, that same afternoon I found a baby squirrel that had fallen out of its nest, but it could not walk. I ran to tell my father about it, and he thought it had a broken leg, so we took it in so it would not die. I guess it was not meant to be, because by the next morning it had died. I decided then and there that I was going to help animals when I was older.

Upon finding out my intentions, many people have suggested some other biology-based profession that "pays a little more," such as a pediatrician or doctor or an obstetrician. But I prefer to love what I do. Even as an elementary school child, I realized I didn't have to rely on my teachers for instruction. I discovered in the library an endless source of information about all animals. Fascinated by horses, but unable to afford to go to a stable, I read dozens of books about their feeding habits, their history, their domestication, and the way to take care of them. From my family's encyclopedia set, I discovered thousands of different dog breeds. I read novel-length books about the psychological benefits of having a pet.

As a teenager, I no longer had enough time to read long books about animals, but I started volunteering at the local veterinarian clinic down the street, and I have learned so much more there (most things being too repugnant to mention here). Despite what others may have thought, it turns out that my passion, what I love to do, is help the other vertebrate members of our kingdom Animalia. My resolution to be a veterinarian has not changed in the 11 years since I decided to be one, something which has surprised everyone I have told: this resolution has, on the contrary, been reinforced. I have experienced the sort of inequalities in the veterinarian system first-hand. My family, always in a financially difficult position, have had to sacrifice a lot to be able to "save the life" of my pets. Thankfully, they have been more or less healthy, but I do not wish that difficulty upon anyone else. I do not want people to hesitate about taking their beloved pets to the vet clinic for fear of being charged an amount out of their range. I want to help change that. Having already traveled to countries such as Chile, where pets roam the streets due to lack of veterinarian care, I am also drawn to the possibility of working abroad. If I can help people take care of their animals, and ensure more humane treatment, I want to do that as well.

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Editor's note: The essay was submitted with the application for the Community Scholarship.

Community on 05/20/2015