Gracie | future aquatic veterinarian

Splash! She can't swim her flipper is hurt.

When I grow up I want to be an aquatic veterinarian. My dream job is to work at Sea World helping the sick and rescued animals. I am blessed to have caring parents who have let me attend all of the interactive camps Sea World has offered. I toured the back were the veterinarians work and was thrilled to see my future office! I have interacted with aquatic animals like sea lions, dolphins, penguins, beluga whales, sharks and stingrays, while learning many facts and ways they are currently being cared for. My favorite animal during all of my visits is the sea lion. Being an aquatic veterinarian has been something I wanted to do because I have a love for all these animals and I think it is fun to learn about new facts. I have studied a majority of the animals that I will one day work with and buy informational books any chance I get, my room is a mini animal library. I have three fish tanks in my house and I love to see the beautiful fish all the time, I'm saving up for the supplies for my bigger fish tank. I will need to get a degree to pursue this passion that I will make my job. As long as there are animals in this world, there will be a need for someone like me to help. We can not foresee the future, but with more boats in the waters, there will be more accidents and oil spills, among other things. My love and energy for aquatic animals is contagious and I am more than glad to be completely wet and dirty trying to save the smallest or biggest creature.

If I win this scholarship, it will help my parents assist me in paying for my dreams. I know what I want to do in life and I am a very driven student. I am in GT, make A's & B's, sing in the choir and play year-round select softball. Texas A&M is where I want to attend school, and possibly transferring to the Corpus Christi or Galveston branches later in my studies to get more hands on experiences.

Gracie's essay appears here as written, to preserve the young author’s unique voice and individual writing style. However, we have deleted personally identifiable information to protect the student’s privacy.