When I compare myself to other Health Professional Scholarship Program applicants, I see someone that is just as deserving as the rest. All aspects of my background, whether it be personal or educational, have led me to an opportunity like The HPSP. Though there have been some setbacks in my journey to make it to this point in my life, they are definitely outweighed by my triumphs. I don’t look at The HPSP as another opportunity to “avoid debt”. I fully understand the commitment and see a potential life long career with benefits one simply can’t quantify.
Though I may not be a military dependent, many members of my family have served in the armed forces. The most notable is my maternal grandfather, who served with the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Since my grandfather had a major presence in my upbringing, he raised my siblings and I based upon principles he learned while serving. Those principles included leadership, responsibility, and living up to our full potential. Through countless stories about his service, I learned about
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However, I always had a strong, growing interest in working animals as well. I would always joke and say that if I didn’t make it as a veterinarian, I would be a K9 handler for a police department. At the time, I was unaware that there was a way to combine my two interest. I put all my ambition into becoming a veterinarian, while trying to find a way to work with service animals. During my undergraduate years at The University of Georgia, I trained three service dogs for an organization that places them with people in need. Two of the dogs I raised were sent to America’s VetDogs, a non-profit organization that places dogs with disabled veterans in hopes of providing self-reliance and pride. Currently, I’m anxiously waiting my call to begin volunteering with the Canine Performance Center at Auburn University’s CVM. The experience includes training detection