I learned early on that animals could not be owned as they will always do as they please-they are each distinct with unique personalities. My first cat, Krystal, taught me this. Krystal's behavior fascinated me and inspired me to work with animals. I first helped my neighbors with their animals before volunteering at an animal shelter and shadowing at an animal hospital. With my growing intrigue for animal life, I decided to focus on biology in college. The biology department assisted me in seeing more opportunities to expand my knowledge of animals and biology. My passion for helping animals, and curiosity of the unknown, inspires me a B.S. in animal biology and later a D.V. M. (doctorate in veterinary medicine).
At ten years old, I found out I was not old enough to volunteer at the animal hospital, so I found another way to help by assisting my elderly neighbor with her cats. My job was taming the feral kittens and finding homes for them. Once I was old enough, however, I volunteered at the Western Riverside City Animal Shelter and later shadowed under Dr. Heather Ontiveros of the Sunnymead Animal Hospital. During my work at these facilities, I discovered I love caring for …show more content…
During my 10-day exploration, I was able to see parts of the island where I assisted the rangers and researchers in collecting data to determine how quickly the giant tortoises grow by measuring the wild giant tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. We also measured the baby tortoises that are part of the Charles Darwin Research Center's Breeding Program. The data is collected over time to determine the ages of the wild giant tortoises. That experience working in the field made me feel like I was contributing to science over the duration of my trip. Although the trip has ended, mine continues as I make presentations about the trip for my school and community encouraging others to participate in future
At ten years old, I found out I was not old enough to volunteer at the animal hospital, so I found another way to help by assisting my elderly neighbor with her cats. My job was taming the feral kittens and finding homes for them. Once I was old enough, however, I volunteered at the Western Riverside City Animal Shelter and later shadowed under Dr. Heather Ontiveros of the Sunnymead Animal Hospital. During my work at these facilities, I discovered I love caring for …show more content…
During my 10-day exploration, I was able to see parts of the island where I assisted the rangers and researchers in collecting data to determine how quickly the giant tortoises grow by measuring the wild giant tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. We also measured the baby tortoises that are part of the Charles Darwin Research Center's Breeding Program. The data is collected over time to determine the ages of the wild giant tortoises. That experience working in the field made me feel like I was contributing to science over the duration of my trip. Although the trip has ended, mine continues as I make presentations about the trip for my school and community encouraging others to participate in future