University: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2027

During my undergraduate education, I joined a pre-veterinary club that promotes and supports diversity within the veterinary profession. Along with other club officers, I helped organize a mentorship program in which our members mentored high school students who were interested in the veterinary field. Many times a lack of representation can deter people from entering certain fields, so I wanted students to receive guidance from people who could relate to them and their lived experiences. In veterinary school, I became a coordinator for a summer program that provides disadvantaged undergraduates with experience/ resources that will enhance their veterinary school applications. By organizing this program and offering guidance to the program participants, I wanted to create a safe space for people of all backgrounds, and show others that if I could achieve my dreams of veterinary school as a first-generation Latina, then they could too. I am also currently the Co-Director for one of our school’s access to care clinics, which serves a rural and predominantly Hispanic community. Through this opportunity I am not only able to assist Spanish-speaking families by offering interpretation services during their appointments, but also providing representation for Hispanic pet owners in order to help build more trust between these communities and health professionals.



I plan to continue contributing to DEI efforts once I am a practicing veterinarian. I hope to create a pre-veterinary internship program for high school students in my hometown, in order to offer them guidance on their higher education journeys. Since my community has a large Hispanic population, I hope that these efforts will help bring more Latino/a veterinarians into our field. I also want to continue volunteering with educational outreach programs such as the Early Academic Outreach Program through my alma mater, in order to provide visibility and representation for other future Latino/a doctors. As a future livestock veterinarian, I plan to use my Spanish-speaking skills and background to connect with rural, Latino/a communities in my state and offer them the veterinary care that they otherwise wouldn’t have received. Moreover, I plan to advocate for increased access to healthcare resources within these areas.



For a long time I thought my background was a disadvantage I had to overcome in order to succeed in veterinary medicine. I eventually came to understand that my background allowed me to bring a unique perspective, and that I could connect better with individuals from diverse backgrounds. I want to use my personal experiences and background to not only connect with diverse students, but also offer them advice and guidance as someone who shares their same or similar lived experiences. Despite the challenges I have encountered and will encounter throughout my veterinary path, I hope to encourage others to pursue their career and higher education goals, and to see the value and power in their Latino/a heritage.

University: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2027

The path to becoming a veterinarian is not common knowledge in communities of color, in particular poor first-generation Latino immigrant communities like my own. With Latino’s high rate of school attrition, not many pursue higher education. This makes it difficult to believe that becoming a veterinarian is even possible, let alone to know the steps or resources needed to get there.



There are many experiences that have made me aware of inequities and challenges faced by historically underrepresented or economically disadvantaged groups, but for brevity I will choose a few. In my academic journey I have been on the receiving end of quotidian “othering”, micro- and macro-aggressions in all permutations of educational and professional settings. I believe that this firsthand exposure to injustices and a proclivity toward self-guided learning led me to join organizations that advocate for recruitment of people of color into STEM fields. My earliest recollection of social justice advocacy was when I joined La Raza Centro Legal to fight against the unfair treatment of youth of color within the public school system. I reached out to the parents of Latino teens who had been unfairly suspended and discovered that they were receiving less tutoring and mentoring and police were called when altercations involved minority students. This work culminated when I joined the student-run health clinics, Imani and Clinica Martin-Baro. As the longest standing member of the directorial board, I initiated significant clinic policies and played an integral role in the recruitment of underrepresented students who are often discouraged from leadership positions. For the clinic to reflect the demographic they serve was an important paradigm shift that remains in place. Over the course of several years, I have participated in STEM mentorship through the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and Critter Camp by providing teaching on various subjects related to self-esteem, confidence, and conflict resolution in tandem with academic support in the areas of college preparation.



This summer 2024, as a 2nd year veterinary student, I coordinated an 8 week Veterinary Medicine Summer Academy (VMSA) for under-resourced adolescents ranging from ages 8-18. As part of my school’s efforts to promote diversity, this was a pilot program that I organized with the purpose of providing early interventional exposure to veterinary medicine in the form of didactic lectures with activities spanning from surgical gowning to anesthesia intubation. With programs like these, we can begin to make meaningful interventions in diversifying the veterinary profession. 



My passion for mentoring and social justice issues, particularly around diversity, equity and inclusion, is a longstanding interest of mine and one that I wish to translate into a project that will create and build a One Health clinic as a licensed professional. Using One Health as a model, I want to able to provide free or low-cost health care to the disadvantaged pet population as well as the underserved residents of my community. I hope to use the clinic as a pipeline program for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to gain clinical experience.


University: Oregon State University
Graduation Year: 2025

I will change this profession. To know my certainty is to know me: I am a first-generation Chicana woman that learned to grow in spaces I thought were never meant for me. I broke through the cycles of violence that existed in my community and shattered stereotypes that made be believe I would never be taken seriously. I found my voice, and today am ready to break boundaries, knowing that this profession has responsibilities far beyond the clinical. 



At my institution I serve as Diversity Chair for my student class and serve as co-chair for the IDEA committee, our college’s departmental group charged with creating strategies and actionable items in support of DEI. In these roles I advocate for supportive programming, equity in the classroom, and mental health resources to support our diverse student population. My efforts have primarily centered on community building, knowing first-hand how a sense of community can be a powerful tool in bringing people together. I have established a series of initiatives that include an annual diversity potluck to foster cultural exchange through food and games, quarterly craft nights at school, offering a space to decompress, learn new skills, and engage in open, supportive conversations, and a diversity mentorship program. In this program, student mentees are placed in mentorship circles with a faculty or staff mentor and are also directly paired with a student in a class above them. This multi-tiered mentorship approach offers layered support, helping students connect with faculty while also providing direct peer guidance to smooth the transition into veterinary school.



In addition to community-focused approaches, I advocate for growth through more structured initiatives. In my second year, I invited a licensed counselor to facilitate a BIPOC allyship training. This event, the first of its kind at our college, allowed those in our BIPOC community to openly share their experiences and served to educate others on bias, racism, and microaggression. In response to this event, our administration held meetings with student representative across all classes that culminated in the creation of a specific budget for student led DEI programming. To give students an ongoing, actionable voice and access to additional funding through our main campus, I founded the student club, Veterinary Students Advancing Diversity. This helped to ensure that efforts to advance diversity at are school are sustainable and student led. 



Outside of school, I advocate for access to pet care by helping with free vaccine clinics in our local community. I have also provided tutoring and mentoring to undergraduate students in the College Assistance Migrant Program, have served as a panelist for various pre-veterinary Q&A sessions, and have assisted with various outreach events through my role as a student ambassador. 



When I graduate, I will provide accessible affordable veterinary care. I reflect on how my family would rely on low income/free services for ourselves and our pets and will find a way to offer and fund these services. I stand with my community knowing que se puede.

University: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2028

I was instilled with values of diversity, equity and inclusion since childhood. As the daughter of two Guatemalan immigrants who came from poverty, I was taught to give back to our community by volunteering, donating and having mindfulness to make space for others who are impacted by social inequality. I witnessed injustice all around me and in my community through poverty, food insecurity, larger arrest rates, poor education, drug abuse, housing insecurity and undocumented legal status. This fueled me to want to understand why such inequities were in place and how to be a source of change for better.

With this passion for justice in my heart, I started a career in the non-profit sector. I worked in several fields all with the purpose of supporting marginalized and traumatized communities to live healthier and more joyful lives. I worked for an organization that advocated for legal and educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, primarily with Black and Brown communities who were disproportionately affected by zero tolerance school policies that led kids into the school to prison pipeline. In addition, I supported undocumented children in gaining access to both legal and social resources. I regularly attended diversity, implicit bias and equity training. I joined the hiring committee who sought to diversify our staff. My former career prepared me to think critically about DEI and put in place practices and policies in order to get closer to those goals.

As a first year veterinary student, I am bringing these lessons on DEI to campus organizing. I am currently one of the Event Coordinators for the LVMA chapter on campus. Although I just assumed this position, my goal is to facilitate conversations on the adversities that affect incoming Latinx students and how we can best support each other. In addition, I will advocate to collaborate with other student cultural groups to create equity dialogues that support all first generation students, students of color and disadvantaged students on campus in order to create resources and community to meet those unique needs.

Furthermore, as a licensed professional I plan to create pipelines of mentorship for Latinx and any underrepresented community in order to have them see themselves in this profession but also know they are deserving of these spaces and knowledge. In my client work, I hope to bring DEI policies into the workplace and establish trauma informed care and access to care practices for the array of both Latinx and low-income clients. Lastly, I hope to bridge international communities in Latin America by supporting veterinary medicine abroad and exchanging knowledge, practice and service with international veterinarians and students. Ultimately, I am privileged to continue DEI in veterinary medicine because we are not free until we are all free.

University: UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2028

The day I dropped out of college, I sat in my car and rehearsed my excuses to convince my parents I had not made a mistake. As the youngest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, their expectations of me were high. They had much to be proud of after all: I was the first in my family to attend college, ready to start an internship, and about to graduate with her business degree. I was the star in their movie about the American Dream, scripted by the sacrifices they made. What they didn’t know was that their movie star was about to walk through the door and rewrite their script.

I explained to them that I wanted to be a veterinarian, as my true passion is with the animals I have been working with for years. This decision required me to drop out of school and start over in community college. However, I barely understood anything about higher education, let alone the path to veterinary school. The difficulty in finding guidance was the turning point where I became passionate about advocating the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Through my work with the Mexican American Student Association (MASA), I learned about the injustices in the educational system that creates barriers for minorities to access higher education. I also received/gave guidance through equity programs like Science Educational Enhancement Services Program and Educational Opportunity Program.

In addition to my participation to DEI efforts on campus, I wanted to reach a larger audience. I leveraged social media to share my personal journey to veterinary medicine, and continuously advocate for DEI. I have a Tik-Tok account specifically to document and share my journey as a veterinary student which has allowed me to reach over 1 million viewers, many of them pre-vet students who are underrepresented in higher education. I have been able to connect with individuals who are facing similar challenges. Through this platform I have shared tips, resources and personal anecdotes that emphasize the importance of motivation and why diversity should be valued. It has been incredibly rewarding to receive messages from individuals who have felt inspired by my journey.

As a licensed professional, I will continue to inspire aspiring veterinarians through mentorship and social media advocacy. I will continue to strive for more inclusive environments. I have found my purpose in outreach, and will grow a cast of veterinarians with many passionate and skillful actors, so that together, we can all star in the greatest film of all time.”

University: Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2024

One morning an elderly deaf couple walked into the clinic I was shadowing. Through exaggerated mannerisms and moments of confusion, the veterinarian and I managed to take the history, discuss the treatment plan, and inform the diagnostics. As I considered our clients’ communication needs, I discovered a new passion for client communication and education. When I moved from Puerto Rico for veterinary school, I developed a stronger sense of purpose. Latino communities here, like that elderly deaf couple, have difficulty communicating their and their pets’ needs. I felt certain that I could help Latinx pet owners get the care, sense of belonging, and pet education they needed.


I began to look for ways to help those communities in need gain access to veterinary care and hoped that by educating and influencing others, I would be able to progress in this quest. As a veterinary technologist and later as a professor at a veterinary technology program, I was exposed to many individuals who wanted to make a difference in veterinary medicine and I was interested in providing them the tools to do so. Before veterinary school, I served as the outreach coordinator for the national Latinx Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA). Currently, I serve as my class’s representative on my school’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Committee, where I helped create a Voluntary Translation sheet and coordinated the visit of over 80 students from the public school system to our campus. I’ve participated as a Spanish translator at local low-cost clinics, and am currently working to develop a Clinical Student Caregiver Policy at my school. As co-president of my school’s LVMA chapter, we’ve provided Spanish communication workshops, resources for students and culturally diverse experiences for the campus community. Lastly, I’m collaborating with two classmates to create Veterinary Medical Spanish content for their podcast, which teaches veterinary healthcare providers how to better connect and communicate with Spanish-speaking clients.


After graduation, I intend to provide veterinary care in my hometown to address the growing number of homeless animals and the need for exotic animal veterinarians. Additionally, I’d like to continue teaching future generations about animal care through academia and encourage them to make a difference in the lives of our communities. We are the voices of not only animals, but also the communities we serve. Finally, I plan to continue aiding the veterinary community in creating a more inclusive profession by providing Spanish resources that allow them to reach more people and animals.


I believe that scholarships and initiatives that offer additional sponsorship and visibility to veterinary students who are working to make the profession more diverse, conscientious, and compassionate will have a long-term impact. This broadens perspectives, improves access to care, and cultivates compassion. If granted this scholarship, I plan to continue working to help veterinarians better represent the people they serve by addressing the challenges that Latinx/Hispanics and other minorities face and developing solutions to bridge the diversity gap within our profession.


University: University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2024

The Colima Dancing Dogs, two bronze sculptures in Colima, Mexico, have always intrigued me during our yearly family visits. These sculptures, inspired by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican art, depict an older dog passing wisdom to a younger one, symbolizing the transmission of knowledge across generations. For me, they represent the responsibility of carrying our community’s knowledge forward, especially in veterinary medicine, where many Latinx individuals have limited access to care.



As a Latinx veterinary assistant, I observed cultural discrepancies within our profession that hindered effective communication and care. Coming from a disadvantaged community, I am determined to improve veterinary care by addressing these gaps. My experience working in a local clinic emphasized the importance of language and cultural understanding to foster trust and inclusivity. This inspired me to pursue bilingual veterinary services, focusing on Spanish Medical Terminology, to provide care that resonates with and respects my community’s cultural values.



During veterinary school, I co-hosted financial workshops, offering guidance to fellow students on navigating the costs of education, applying for food, medical, and WiFi assistance—resources I had to seek out myself as a first-generation college student. These workshops provided crucial support to students from limited means, reducing their financial stress and enabling them to focus on their academic and professional goals. Through this experience, I learned the value of community-driven solutions and the importance of mentorship in fostering success.



As an officer in the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association, I have worked to empower Latinx students and allies, organizing events such as Spanish medical terminology workshops and cultural gatherings. These initiatives help bridge language barriers, create a sense of belonging, and offer professional development opportunities for Latinx students. During my role as the Social Media Chair, I showcase the achievements of Latinx professionals, share resources, and highlight the importance of diversity within our field.



In the future, I aim to establish outreach programs that provide preventative care and exotic animal medicine education to underserved Latinx populations. My goal is to make veterinary services accessible and affordable, especially in low-income communities. I also plan to strengthen my expertise in exotic species through international travel and research, particularly in South America, where I can study animals in their natural habitats.



Like the elder dog in the Colima sculptures, I am committed to passing on the knowledge and wisdom I have gained. Through continued learning, I aim to help bridge the gap in veterinary care for Latinx communities. Through advocating for inclusivity, accessibility, and mentorship, I aim to strengthen our community and create a sense of belonging in all the places we call home.

University: University of Florida
Graduation Year: 2027

As the president of a pre-veterinary organization composed entirely of Latinx students, I played a pivotal role in enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the academic community. Recognizing the underrepresentation of Latinx students in veterinary medicine, I collaborated with my team to reach out to veterinary universities across the United States. We organized meetings and informational sessions where representatives from these institutions could engage directly with our members. These sessions provided crucial insights into the application process, campus culture, and the resources available at different universities.

This initiative not only empowered my fellow Latinx members to confidently apply to veterinary programs but also helped increase their representation in these institutions. By facilitating these connections, we contributed to a more diverse applicant pool, thereby enhancing the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of the universities themselves.

I also contribute to diversity by encouraging my current Latinx classmates who didn’t grow up speaking Spanish fluently and my non-Latinx classmates to use the language with confidence. By practicing Spanish together, I help create a welcoming environment where linguistic diversity is embraced and celebrated.

As I advance in my career as a licensed professional, I will proudly embrace my heritage and never shy away from it. I believe that education is the most powerful tool for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I will remain a steadfast advocate for my community. This includes ensuring that Spanish-speaking clients have access to resources and fully understand the care their pets are receiving, so they feel seen and valued by their veterinarians. I am particularly passionate about making an impact within the Latinx Veterinary Medical Association community and will leverage my experiences to support Latinx veterinary students and professionals in their journey.

In summary, my commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of who I am, and I am dedicated to continuing these efforts throughout my career. By working together, I believe we can create a more just and inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

University: Mississippi State University CVM
Graduation Year: 2028

There I sat, trying to find the right words to translate the diagnosis of my pet to my mother. Unfortunately, medical terminology wasn’t commonplace in my Spanish dialogue or covered at my local elementary school. Almost a decade later, I relived those same experiences through the lens of a veterinary assistant. From this perspective, I was able to strengthen doctor-client relationships by assisting in translation and communication. It felt empowering to be the individual I wished was there for me years prior. While working as a veterinary assistant and technician, I was an advocate for Latinx clients and an educator to coworkers. A prominent issue that I worked to fix was the lack of comprehensive communication with clients. As veterinary professionals, it is our responsibility to practice accessible medicine and ensure that clients are properly educated to increase client compliance with the patient’s treatment.  Language differences and cultural complexities can cloud interactions between clients and veterinarians, which leads to an impact in the patient’s care. As the sole Spanish speaker at the clinic, I was instrumental for translation of interactions and created bilingual resources for coworkers to use with clients. While in that position, I noticed a higher retention of Latinx clientele and was able to create positive relationships with clients. As a first-generation Cuban American, I have been raised with an emphasis on community, empathy, and resilience. I have made it a focus to help build welcoming communities at my universities for myself and peers. As an undergraduate, I was secretary of the minority pre-veterinary club at my institution. I emphasized the importance of expanding our club and bringing in speakers with diverse experiences so everyone could see themselves in this field. Representation is important for building confidence and solidarity which I feel is influential for individuals to excel in veterinary medicine. I also developed community building meetings to allow members to form strong connections and feel less isolated in such a competitive field. With the high burn out rate in this career, having a group of people who relate to academic challenges and cultural pressures is reassuring. I am proud to say that since then the club has been growing exponentially and having lasting positive impacts on members. Currently, I am the first-year representative for my veterinary school’s VOICE/PRIDE club. Through this role and future leadership positions I want to spread awareness of inclusivity issues within the field and educate peers on how we can positively make changes. As a veterinarian, I hope to provide accessible veterinary care to patients by bridging language and cultural barriers with my clients. Through my academic career, I struggled to find mentorship within the veterinary field that I could relate to. I plan to serve as a mentor to Latinx youth in my community to be the guide I wish I had earlier in my career. Ultimately, I strive to assist in the betterment of public health, promote the diversification of the field, and improve the accessibility of care to patients.

University: University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
Graduation Year: 2025

My passion for veterinary medicine is driven by a desire to support the Latinx community that shaped me and to improve animal health and welfare. Growing up in a predominantly Hispanic area, I witnessed firsthand the challenges many families face in providing care for their pets due to financial limitations and limited access to veterinary services. This has inspired me to advocate for accessible veterinary care and to break down barriers that prevent pets from receiving treatment.

Access to care is a fundamental aspect of animal welfare and a reflection of our responsibility as veterinarians to serve both animals and their communities. My commitment to this cause is deeply personal. When our family dog was diagnosed with cancer, we couldn’t afford the necessary treatment, leaving us feeling helpless. It was during this time that I realized my calling to support families going through similar situations. As a veterinarian, I want to provide compassionate care, alleviate the burden and guilt that pet owners may feel, and work as a team with families to ensure their pets receive the best quality of care.

As a veterinary student, I have been involved with a student-run organization that provides free monthly veterinary care to pets of people with disabilities and low-income backgrounds. I volunteered in their clinics as a technician and had the opportunity to communicate with a deaf owner and translate for a Spanish-speaking owner. These experiences have underscored the importance of breaking down communication and cultural barriers to ensure that all pet owners have access to the information and care their pets need.

In addition to clinical work, I am committed to fostering mentorship and supporting Latinx students pursuing careers in veterinary medicine. In 2022, I was honored to become a mentor through my school’s program designed to cultivate a supportive community among minority students and professionals. As a mentor, I had the privilege of guiding an undergraduate pre-veterinary student who shared a similar background to mine (Latinx and first generation). Our monthly meetings were focused on discussing her academic and personal aspirations, where we crafted both short-term milestones and long-term goals. I provided guidance in revising essays, drafting professional emails, and networking. She also secured involvement in two research opportunities at the veterinary school. Seeing her grow and succeed has been incredibly rewarding and has reinforced my commitment to mentorship and education.

After graduation, I plan to volunteer with non-profit organizations to promote population control and increase access to veterinary care in underserved communities. I also believe that education is a critical component of access to care. By educating pet owners about preventive care, low-cost options, and the importance of regular veterinary visits, I can help bridge knowledge gaps and empower families to take better care of their pets.

My ultimate goal as a licensed veterinarian is to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for the Latinx community and to ensure that financial or linguistic barriers do not prevent pets from receiving the care they deserve.

University: Michigan State University
Graduation Year: 2028

Puerto Ricans within our Latino community face significant challenges in accessing veterinary services. The island’s current situation is characterized by a shortage of veterinarians and specialists, which impacts the availability to pet care. This issue is compounded by the overpopulation of abandoned and abuse animals on the streets, which exacerbates the strain on existing veterinary services. The shortage of veterinarians and the lack of educational outreach within Puerto Rican communities negatively impact both animal health and the well-being of veterinarians, who are overburdened by the demand for accessible veterinary care on the island. Additionally, most clients face financial barriers and lack educational knowledge about preventive care and responsible ownership. These factors contribute to the overpopulation problem of abandoned and abused animals, causing many rescue organizations and shelters to reach full capacity, making it more difficult for them to provide the care animals need.

As a future veterinary professional, I am committed to addressing these challenges and improving access to veterinary services in Puerto Rico. Several strategies could be beneficial, such  as increasing public awareness about responsible pet ownership and the importance of spaying/neutering, which is crucial for managing the overpopulation crisis. I plan to engage in outreach programs, providing educational workshops and collaborating with government organizations to promote these messages. Through education, we can empower pet owners to be proactive in caring for their animals and reduce the number of abandoned pets.

Another initiative that could positively impact accessibility is stablishing mobile clinics. This approach would provide remote services to underserved communities, offering basic medical services, vaccinations, and even spaying/neutering procedures. Partnering with existing veterinarians to provide low-cost preventive care and spay/neutering services could also help alleviate the financial burden on many pet owners on the island and address the overpopulation of abandoned and abused animals on the streets. Lastly, I want to foster internship opportunities and volunteer experiences to encourage veterinary students and new graduates to build a stronger workforce in the island. My goal is to collaborate with local universities and Puerto Rican veterinary students in the States, providing the guidance and mentorship needed to succeed in their careers while making a positive impact on the Puerto Rican community. This will help encourage them to return to the island and foster a sense of responsibility and empathy towards underserved communities.

By implementing these strategies, I hope to contribute to improving access to veterinary care in Puerto Rican communities, enhance the overall well-being of animals in Puerto Rico, and support a better work-life balance for veterinarians. As a future veterinary professional, I am dedicated to making meaningful impact on my Latino community and the veterinary medicine field on my island.

University: Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Graduation Year: 2026

When I left Puerto Rico to pursue veterinary school I did not expect to go home to a newfound sense of responsibility. Each time I told someone back home I’m studying to become a veterinarian, the response was “Good, the island needs you.” This need for increased access to veterinary care was not a foreign concept to me. I grew up volunteering at stray dog shelters that were constantly overcrowded. I witnessed the tragedy of Dead Dog Beach, which earned its notorious nickname after becoming a dumping ground for unwanted dogs. Over time I discovered that dermatologic issues run rampant and the island has the highest incidence of Leptospirosis in the United States. All of this and more has been exacerbated by natural disasters, unstable infrastructure, and a widening economic gap. These were the motivating factors that drove me to pursue veterinary school, and now that I am here they hold more influence as my community looks to me for solutions. So it often comes as a shock when I say “no, I do not plan to practice in Puerto Rico upon graduation.” In my time as a technician, a board certified criticalist from Puerto Rico explained that they chose to leave the island because they felt they did not have the resources to practice quality medicine. I realized that in order to achieve my professional goals, the knowledge learned in veterinary school must be paired with experience. I originally left the island to pursue a level of higher education that could not be offered at home, and it is with this resolve that I will continue to seek opportunities that foster problem-solving, communication, and decision-making skills, thus better preparing me to institute widespread change. This process has already begun in veterinary school. I dove into a leadership position during my first year as 1VM Representative for the LatinX Veterinary Medical Association, moving into Vice-President during my second year and President currently. In these roles I have organized meetings with guest speakers, social events, and networking dinners. I have led El Club de Español, providing members with opportunities to practice their Spanish in medical settings, and have recently expanded access to the club to the entire veterinary student body in an effort to continue to break down cultural and language barriers. Additionally, I have partnered with the local Humane Society to serve as a Spanish speaking technician in their biannual free microchip and rabies vaccination drive-thru event. My elective coursework includes a course on legislative advocacy, so that I may better understand how to be involved in systemic policy change. It is through these experiences, and the ones I plan to gain following graduation, that I will gain the skills to one day return to the island and help provide sustainable, widespread veterinary services. Until then, I continue to dedicate myself to those around me and encourage my peers to learn simple strategies that may increase accessibility within their communities.