I have been accepted to The Ohio State University Animal Science program. This is one of the top schools for Veterinary Medicine in the country - and they want me! Unfortunately I am slightly shy of having enough money to start my first semester. My story of how I got where I am now starts below... My family told me I shouldn’t go. My friends told me I shouldn’t go. And yet, when I heard on the radio that a group of area veterinarians was looking for volunteers to assist them with animal rescue in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I applied. I had to. Simply sitting behind my computer as a spectator was frustrating. I wanted to be part of the solution and not participating in the rescue effort was unthinkable. I was ready to deploy in 48 hours, and my training with the National Guard helped me to prepare for the unknown. Once in New Orleans we were lucky to find a make-shift shelter in the heart of St. Bernard Parish. Within twenty-four hours we set up an emergency veterinary hospital, tending to patients brought to us from the community at large and the military forces occupying the area. I worked the hardest I had ever worked in the hottest, dirtiest environment I’d ever been in. I was utterly fulfilled – I had found my connection, my purpose. I wanted to become a veterinarian. I just didn’t know it yet. Six months later our group of rescuers reunited at the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association annual conference. After recapping our experiences, two of the doctors I had accompanied recommended I return to school to obtain my college degree with the intent of pursuing veterinary medicine as a profession. They both felt that I could excel in the field, but at the time I didn’t quite believe in myself. It took several years for me to realize that I could indeed become a veterinarian but it wouldn’t be easy. I enrolled in the local community college to begin my journey to obtain the prerequisite coursework. And so my future began… It hasn’t been an effortless road having been a high school dropout. I hadn’t been in a classroom in over twenty years. I had never had Algebra, or Biology, or even American Literature. It was hard, but I knew I finally had the determination I needed to succeed. I spent all my free time studying. If I needed a tutor, I hired a tutor. I used every resource available to me through the school to help me succeed. Upon completion of my first semester, I met with one of the doctors who had first believed in me down in New Orleans. I told her I had enrolled in school and needless to say, she was very pleased to learn that I had finally realized my own potential. However, without a job to support my educational goals I would not be able to continue the journey I had started. It was financially impossible. I voiced these concerns to her, and she asked me to visit her clinic which was several hours away from where I lived. At that time it was just a small after-hours emergency clinic with an impeccable staff. It would soon grow and expand into a twenty-four hour emergency and specialty hospital within the course of two years. With these plans in mind and the understanding that my unemployment was a huge stumbling block I could not overcome, she offered me a job in her clinic knowing I would need to relocate. Making the decision to take the job was the easy part! I was extremely excited at the thought of working in such a diverse veterinary environment with a very experienced and skilled staff. Because I could not relocate immediately, I started commuting to the clinic at night while continuing to attend classes during the day. There were sacrifices to make. The two and a half hour drive to work each night was the smallest of those sacrifices. The most difficult decision I had to make was to re-home five of my dogs so that I could pursue my goals. Thankfully, friends supportive of my dreams reached out and supplied my dogs with forever homes. I could now turn my focus toward the end result. I needed to stay in school. Staying in school has not been easy. I again found myself hiring tutors, spending time with friends who could help me study and using all resources available to help me succeed. I have made my education my priority while keeping a full time schedule at work, and managing my course load. I have been promoted from part time receptionist and veterinary assistant to office manager in the three years I have worked for the emergency clinic, all the while keeping my education as my priority for the future. Nothing is more important to me than following through with my goal. I stay true to myself because I keep the lessons I learned in New Orleans in the back of my mind. That one week changed the course of my life. I can now define drive, determination and dedication. They are me.