Cur­rent posi­tion (if employed): Vet­eri­nary stu­dent

Cur­rent city: Ames, Iowa

How did the Bright Schol­ar­ship ben­e­fit you through­out col­lege and after?

The schol­ar­ship allowed me to work var­i­ous posi­tions and focus on devel­op­ing my skills and expe­ri­ence, rather than wor­ry­ing about mak­ing rent for the month. It also allowed me to pri­or­i­tize my men­tal and phys­i­cal health, which I would not have been able to do if I was inde­pen­dent­ly financ­ing my edu­ca­tion.

What oppor­tu­ni­ties or expe­ri­ences have you been able to take part in that you might not have been able to with­out the schol­ar­ship?

I was able to work as a necrop­sy tech­ni­cian at the vet­eri­nary school, which was a big resume boost­er for me in the vet school appli­ca­tion process. This expe­ri­ence also led me to pathol­o­gy, my cur­rent field of inter­est. I was also able to become an active mem­ber in Vet­eri­nar­i­ans With­out Bor­ders and trav­el to Cos­ta Rica to help pro­vide vet­eri­nary care to under­served rur­al com­mu­ni­ties.

What is your best piece of advice for an incom­ing col­lege fresh­man? What is your best piece of advice for a grad­u­at­ing col­lege student?

My best advice for a fresh­man is keep an open mind as much as pos­si­ble. Mov­ing away to col­lege is a time when you will learn a lot about your­self; don’t for­get to take risks and try new things.  

My advice for grad­u­at­ing seniors is to remem­ber the oth­er things you enjoy outside of school and work, and don’t for­get to pri­or­i­tize these inter­ests when you are mak­ing your big deci­sions.

Who is your biggest inspi­ra­tion and why?

My biggest inspi­ra­tions are my two old­er sis­ters. We have all had unique expe­ri­ences as first-gen­er­a­tion col­lege grad­u­ates, but even with our dif­fer­ent paths, they have shown me that suc­cess is attain­able and that cre­at­ing a ful­fill­ing life is worth ded­i­cat­ing your­self to.

What’s a fun fact we should know about you? 

I have a box tur­tle named Rosie. We don’t know her age for sure because she was a res­cue, but she is prob­a­bly about as old as me. She has a leash and loves going to the park.