Spring Quarter is Winding Down

This quarter has gone by so fast, we're down to three weeks left of classes and one week with 4 finals. That's right, somehow we went from like 9 classes to only 4. We're left with immunology, parasitology, renal physiology, and hematology. Plus my two electives, small animal radiology discussion and the equine neonatal course. 

Overall it has been a great quarter, I have struggled in one of my classes (I'm not perfect), but have really excelled in others. I really enjoy immunology and parasitology. Hematology is very interesting as well, learning all about blood can be really fun. Plus, these three courses overlap with one another! They have a lot of material that overlaps, like blood smears, the immune response, immune cells, etc. 


I have experienced a lot of new things this quarter, I've been able to work and attend classes. I love my job in the equine ICU and work with a lot of wonderful, very knowledgeable people who have the patient's best interest in mind. I am learning a lot!

I have taken new opportunities to be a leader for the Mercer clinic (treating pets of the homeless in Sacramento) as well as becoming a coordinator for the Coalition for Community Cats feral cat clinics in Sacramento. 

I think the scariest thing so far this year has been in passing the second year students in the hall. Their spring quarter is really tough, they all are taking many classes and have so many tests! I heard they had five exams in three days. They all look very tired and it is just slightly scary that I will soon be in their shoes.  

If any of you pre-vets are looking for experience, try the UC Davis Summer enrichment program: http://sharonostermann.blog.com/2011/05/10/pre-vet-get-experience-at-uc-davis-with-the-summer-enrichment-program/

 I wish life was this easy!

Are you feeling it? You're feeling frustration!

Foals, foals, foals, the ICU is full of them this season. They are adorable, usually pretty sick (well they are in the ICU) and kind of a lot of work all at the same time. I love working in the ICU, the cases can be tough at times, but it helps me get through classes, no matter how tired or rushed it makes me. This coming week we have 2 exams and a quiz. I'm not quite ready, but a few late nights should do the trick. 


Since I'm still training at work, some days can be very successful while other days are frustrating. One of my co-workers had literally one of the best sayings when I was struggling to find a jugular vein for an IV injection on a horse. First off, the veins were not so great, the lighting was bad and to top it off, I'm a newbe. My coworker is much more experienced than I and talked me through the whole thing. Eventually I was successful and the horse was very patient with me. To top things off, after I gave the injection, I dropped a needle in the stall. We immediately got the horse out of the danger zone of where the needle had fallen to search for the needle. Needless to say we were looking for a needle in a bunch of hay and shavings. So I learned an important lesson (although it was totally an accident...I shouldn't be so hard on myself) but I stripped the entire stall and re-bedded it, check the horse's feet just to be sure and breathed a sigh of relief plus a little frustration.

Some cases are tougher than others. I've decided I like seeing horses go home after their stay at the VMTH, it is hard when they don't make it to that point, but so be it in a day in the life of veterinary practice. We can only do our best to treat them and do all that we can for them with the resources the owners have or are willing to give. I would love to save them all, but even sometimes even with unlimited resources it is out of our control.

I think that I am always learning, it's just that "there are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."  ~Willa Cather

Scholarships: My Road to Vet School

At the CA state Fair Scholarship Gala with "Poppy" the bear

I have had a lot of people ask me about Scholarships. Money is a growing concern for everyone receiving a higher education these days. Let's face it, our economy is not doing well. I wanted to share my personal experience of paying my way through school by obtaining over $15,000 in scholarships. I also worked during my undergraduate education which you can see from my experiences. 


My parents did put aside some money for me to attend college, as they started saving when I was just a baby, they purchased bonds in hopes to make money off them later when I was all grown up and ready for college. I was also left some money from my Great Grandmother when she passed. She lived a long happy life and I am so lucky to have met her, whenever she visited she always gave us cookies and milk. She lived on the small island of Alameda, CA (near the bay area). 


Anyways, I haven't touched any of that money yet thanks to the generous amount of scholarships I have received over the years. I don't know the best way to help you find the scholarships that are right for you, but I can give you some tips on how to start looking. 


I would begin by doing your best to apply for scholarships in high school because this is when they are most available. I received $5,000 after graduating from high school just from applying for scholarships offered through my high school by the local community. I won a scholarship from the FFA program, and from the local community organizations. I decided to go to community college instead of a university or state school to begin with so I could save money and stay close to home. I think this was the best idea I ever had although I did miss out on the dorm living, I still don't think I missed much, plus tuition was $26/unit and I averaged about 16 units a semester, so all in all tuition was under $900/year plus the cost of books/parking pass, etc. I also applied for scholarships every year of college, averaging about 2-3 scholarships ranging from $500-$1,000 each per year. I searched the internet high and low for scholarships relating to my career field as well as applying for scholarships through my community college. I also joined Fastweb, which gives you a list of questions regarding your religion, race, age, career interest, etc. and matches you will scholarships you are eligible for. I also highly recommend applying for FAFSA (federal and state financial aid). It never hurts to apply and you might get money from them! I did when I started my first year at UC Davis. Also, see if scholarships are offered by your parent's work. I know some companies offer scholarships specifically for dependents of their employees. Also the military takes great care of their soldiers and their dependents. My Step-father served in Vietnam and I get benefits for being one of his dependents. I only found this out in the middle of last year, so I have only received benefits since then. So exploring those options early if they pertain to you is a great idea. I encourage you to go talk to your school's financial aid office and ask them for help, that is what we pay them for anyways! Also, don't forget to get scholarship applications in by their due dates and most importantly don't forget to include all the application materials. I have heard this is the most common reason for people not winning scholarship monies they applied for because they forgot one little part of the application. So don't let that be you! I got a phone call once when I accidentally sent an unofficial transcript with one of my scholarship applications and was told that unfortunately my application would not be in consideration for their scholarship award. I was crushed because I had applied and received this scholarship before and couldn't believe I had overlooked such a minor detail. So check and double check your application packet before you submit it. 

Google has been one of my favorite search engines when looking for scholarships, I often use key words with "scholarship" such as "equine" or "veterinary" or "transfer" to locate scholarships that are right for me. Often, scholarships are not advertised or right in front of you, and often must be sought out. 


On another note about your scholarship application packet, only include what they ask you for, they don't want a bunch of extra paper included that they have to sort through to get the information they asked for. If they ask for a resume, keep it to one page in length and really only include what is relevant to that scholarship application. Also, never use staples with your scholarship application packed, I have found that many committees prefer paper clips over staples, because it enables them to easily view your application, but also to take a page out of your application and pass it around to other committee members. The only thing I would recommend including unless they say not to include it is a photo of you. This is a really big push for them to award you the scholarship, because they actually see you and I don't know if it's proven, but I believe it may help over applications without photos. If you are going to include a photo, it must be professional or close to it, for example, I included a photo from my senior portraits in high school, one with me and my Arabian horse, "Cal" at the time. Another thing you can include unless the application states "only" is extra letters of recommendation. The more people that recommend you for the scholarship, the better and keep in mind they must be GOOD letters of recommendation from someone that really knows you. Most scholarship applications ask for 2-3 letters of recommendation, but sometimes I have included 4 outstanding letters. I honestly don't know if this really helps, but I'm sure it won't hurt. 


Just make sure your application is the best you can do, you don't have to use fancy paper, but make sure the printer made the text clear, that everything is spell-checked, in order, etc. The better you can present your application, the better chance you have of getting yourself elected, they usually don't get to meet you although some scholarships have interviews, your application may be the deciding factor in awarding you the scholarship. It is very similar to applying for a job, you want to be the desired, respectable, and knowledgeable candidate. 

Start Saving for college EARLY!!! It is worth the investment.

Scholarships I have received: 

California State Fair Scholarship (two times)
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West Coast Equine Foundation Dick Randall Memorial Scholarship (three times)
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Arabian Horse Foundation Scholarship
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CCPOA (California Correctional Peace Officers Association) scholarship (two times)
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Placer/Nevada County Cattlewoman's Scholarship (two times)
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FFA High School Scholarship
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Perry/Stella Tracy Memorial Scholarship (three or four times)
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Cameron Park Rotary Club Community Scholarship
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UC Davis Transfer Student Scholarship (covered my first year of tuition at UCD)
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The Rourke Family Foundation Scholarship 

Hard Work: What it really means

I have a lot of appreciation for those that work hard in life. Hard work is the basis for everything worthwhile you will achieve in life. Hard work is the process of changing both the world and yourself so that at the end you and the world have become more connected: you've become more real to other observers in the world and they have become more real to you.
My parents always taught me to work hard for things I wanted in life. I have always worked hard for anything I wanted, things have not been handed to me that often and when they are, I am greatly appreciative. When I started riding horses, my parents payed for a weekly riding lesson, well I wanted to spend more time with the horses and learning how to ride so I arranged to clean tack and groom horses in exchange for an additional riding lesson each week. The more I worked around horses, the more I learned about them. I stood out from others in my group lessons who just came for their weekly lesson and eventually grew tired of the whole horse thing altogether. I found a passion for horses and working hard to spend time with them. At eight years old, I was already working off my riding lessons. As I got older, I really wanted my own horse. I saved all the money I got for my birthdays, from chores, etc. for 2-3 years. I saved enough to buy a $500 Arabian gelding that taught me a lot about working hard. Comson was my first horse and I was able to keep him for free at my grandmother's house. I had to buy his hay and pay his vet and shoeing bills, but luckily I did enough chores to afford that. I also had to feed him twice a day which meant persuading my mom or dad to take me by my grandmother's house morning and night. Comson was high strung and bucked me off a lot, he was a firey little horse with a big heart and full of tough love. After owning Comson for two years, I sold him in hopes to use the money to return to a stable for more riding lessons. I remember when Comson's buyers were surprised when they met a 12 year old girl selling her first horse. I was always mature for my age and my dad taught me how to hold my ground on a set price and market my horse in the local newspaper.

I got my first "real job" (actually paying taxes) when I was 15 years old. It was a part-time job working some weekends and after school during weekdays. I actually had to get a work permit from my high school that allowed me to work under the age of 16. I worked at a Take and Bake Pizza restaurant down the street from my house so I was easily able to walk there until I got my driver's license on my 16th birthday. The perceived potential benefits of youth employment include earning money, gaining relevant work experience, achieving autonomy, easing the transition from school to work, and developing work attitudes.

Read more: Working in Adolescence - Advantages And Disadvantages Of Adolescent Employment - School, Youth, Job, Time, Youths, and Experiences http://social.jrank.org/pages/690/Working-in-Adolescence-Advantages-Disadvantages-Adolescent-Employment.html#ixzz1E3wOmidg

Some may think that this is ridiculous for a teenager to work while going to school, but let me tell you how rewarding it has been for me. I have had the opportunity to work with the general public in several different capacities, by working during high school, I discovered that I wanted to attend college in order to improve my ability to find a job that I loved working. While attending college, I always had a job, I worked hard to keep up on my studies and good grades, get scholarships, and keep a horse (for the first year of college). I have a lot of appreciation for people who work and pay their own way through school. In this economy, that is no easy feat and having done it myself, I know that work in addition to school can be challenging.


I feel sorry for those people that have never had a job and don't have any experience working with the general public. More than that, working for money that you can spend/manage is a very rewarding experience. Getting your first paycheck is really awesome. Having the autonomy to do what you want with it is even a better experience. Working is part of growing up and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't work hard to do that. 


I feel sorry for those people who's parents incapacitate their children from learning these very important life lessons. By giving your child everything he/she desires, you are only hurting them. As kind as it may seem, your children need to face reality and realize that the way you enjoy life is working hard for the things you want in life. 


Having got into veterinary school, there is no doubt that I have worked hard to get here. I want to work hard and have fun doing what I love (veterinary medicine) and most of all, I want to make a difference. I want to make lives better for animals and people. I am in great debt to my previous experiences that have molded me into the person I am today. 

I have a strong appreciation for those that are hard workers that strive every day to reach their goals and improve this world for others. I think people that choose not to work hard and take the easiest route by letting mommy and daddy shield them and shower them with everything are the ones in danger of not learning anything from their lives. I encourage all parents to foster creativity and a hard work ethic with their kids. It is so important to their success as an adult and their interactions with those around them.


Check out all my experiences: http://livingmydreamkn.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-experiences.html

"You will never find happiness if you do not conquer your own doubt"