Who Knows What the Future Holds? by Kristina

Who Knows What the Future Holds? by Kristina - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

At six years old, when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be an animal doctor. The idea of spending all day with animals seemed like heaven to me.

When I was around eight years old, I realized that there are actually many jobs that work with animals all day, not just the doctor. It was around this time that I started to go with my parents when it was time for my dog’s check-up. I loved to talk to the veterinarians (not “animal doctors”) and the vet techs about their jobs and the education they needed to go into that career. That’s when I decided that I wanted to go to Texas A&M and enter their veterinary program.

I received further informal education on this subject from my riding instructor when I was eleven. I was taught how to groom and care for a horse and the instructor loved to share what she did as a ranch owner and horse breeder with me. It was exciting and sounded like what I wanted to do.

As I entered high school, I choose classes that continued my education towards my goal of becoming a veterinarian. I took Introduction to Agriculture my freshman year and for the first time learned more about all aspects that are involved in being a veterinarian – not just caring for healthy animals but what is involved in caring for sick animals as well. That’s when I realized that I didn’t want to be a vet anymore. I didn’t like the thought of giving shots or performing surgeries. I never liked going to the doctor and getting shots myself, so I didn’t want to do that to the animals, even if it helped them live longer, healthier lives. All throughout my childhood, I thought vets just took care of animals, but my Agriculture class showed the details of what vets do to take care of the animals and I didn’t think that job was for me anymore.

Fortunately, at this time I was also taking Business Information Management (BIM) class which really introduced me to computers. Up until then I used computers basically for just gaming and never really thought about any jobs that used them. BIM helped me realize that I really enjoyed working with computers. I have continued taking the computer courses offered by my high school and they have opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities there are for jobs with computers and programming.

When I was six, I knew with all my heart I wanted to grow up and be a veterinarian. Now that I’m seventeen, I’m looking at colleges with strong Computer Science programs so I can continue to learn more about this field and get a technology degree. But dreams and interests can change, who knows what I’ll be exposed to in college … will Computer Sciences still be what I want? Or, will college show me a new opportunity that I love even more?