Melaninwhitecoats Podcast Annual Scholarship

   Animals have always been something I am passionate about. I have chosen to become a veterinarian because my love for animals outgrows my fears of failing to save them, or failing to not be able to make it to veterinarian school. I strive to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people and their animals. Two years ago, I owned a pet hamster. My hamster got sick, and I was devastated because no clinics around me were able to treat hamsters. The nearest one was 30 minutes away, and my mom did not want to drive that far. I want to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people keep their animals in their lives for a long as possible. I strive for people to be able to rely on me in the future to save their animals. Furthermore, I want to be a vet who helps no matter what time of day it is and no matter what type of animal it is.      I desire to become a veterinarian who not only focuses on one type of animals, one who has expertise and diversity in treating multiple types of animals. I want to be able to treat cats and dogs, rodents, birds, and reptiles. I want people to be able to have faith in me that I can take care of their pets, who are basically their family members but with more hair on their bodies. Not only do I want to have diversity with animals, but I want to have diversity with the clients and my staff. Being a black woman wanting to become a veterinarian, it is challenging because the medical field does not have a lot of black people in it because it is mainly dominated by white people. I want to be able to create an environment where my staff and clients can relate to me and trust me because I understand what they are feeling. I want to challenge the social and economical standards and I want to make a pay that I deserve, not a pay that someone else thinks I deserve just because of my skin color.      Realistically speaking, I wish I did not have to find ways to pay for college. I have been applying to many scholarships. I did my FAFSA, and I plan on taking on student loans and grants if I do not earn enough money through scholarships. I am aware that my family is not willing to help me pay for college because they have other expenses to worry about. Throughout my life, my mom has kept telling me to not peruse a career that will take years of going to school because of how expensive it will be. I plan to use this scholarship to help me accomplish that dream.    In 10 years, I aspire to be able to graduate University with a bachelors degree, and then apply to Veterinary school to obtain my D.V.M. I will start off helping at animal hospitals and clinics throughout my years of school, and a few years after I graduate medical school before I plan on opening my own clinic. I will have a lot of things to learn in 10 years, and even more after that. I aspire to become a role model for black children and other minorities who struggle getting the encouragement and recognition they deserve for succeeding and trying to succeed in a white dominated field of study. I want them to be able to know that they are strong, and they can accomplish great things.