Autism, Animals, and I by Isabelle

Autism, Animals, and I by Isabelle - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Autism Spectrum Disorder is an incredibly isolating neurological difference; being a developmental disability that primarily affects social communication and interaction, those with Autism often have major difficulties connecting with basically every person around them. This is something that I can confidently tell you is accurate, seeing as it has been my life for the past 17 years.

Social situations that appeared to be basic for other children my age would always be scary, overwhelming, and incredibly stressful, and my only defense to these emotions was to shut down. This often manifested as my inability to speak. Growing up, I was consistently silent around my teachers, coaches, and peers, which only made those social situations that much harder. It was a self-destructive cycle.

With humans relying so heavily on verbal communication, and speaking being so difficult for me, to say making friends was hard would be an understatement. This led me to depend on my pets to be my closest friends growing up. Aside from not needing to be spoken to, pets use a very straightforward set of rules and patterns in their body language to express themselves. Since I don’t see speaking as the sole form of communication, I can better understand the body language of animals and address their needs, pain, and emotions. So while I struggled immensely to connect with other people, I’ve always been able to understand animals with ease.

This made my choice to study animal science in college an easy one. I know I will have to spend a lot of time working on my communication skills over the next few years, but I am confident I can build this skill. This scholarship would give me financial peace of mind, allowing me to spend more time focusing on my social skills and less time stressing about money.

Speaking with veterinarians taught me that a key factor of Veterinary Medicine is the social connection with clients, and that your knowledge of animals and medicine means little if you cannot also appeal to clients. I realized that if I could not push myself to confidently engage in social situations, becoming a veterinarian would be out of the question. This led me to get my first job in 2022 as an Animal Attendant at Anderson Farms, where I engaged with children and spoke with them about the agricultural importance of farm animals, while also upkeeping sanitary conditions for the animals. Then, in the spring of 2023, I got a job at the Denver Zoo, where I spoke to hundreds of families a day about exotic animals and their habitats. Finally, in June of 2023, I began working as a Veterinary Assistant at an animal hospital, which confirmed to myself that vet-med is my true passion.

Putting myself into each of these positions was initially uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing, but I do believe that in the long run leaving my comfort zone was necessary so that I can become an excellent veterinarian. Applying to K-State is a similar situation. Attending a school that’s an 8-hour drive away from my home is miles out of my comfort zone, but if the last year of my life has taught me anything, it’s that leaving my comfort zone will allow my potential as a veterinarian to flourish, and not attempting to take this opportunity would be a disservice to myself and the animals I intend to help in the future.