Page Title

Zarah

Life is a journey,
not a destination

Hi! My name is Zarah & I am a veterinary student at Western University of Health
Sciences in Pomona, CA. I graduated from South Dakota State University in 2005
with a B.S. in Biology & minors in Spanish, Zoology & Chemistry. After I graduated,
I packed up my stuff & made the big move out to California!

I have a crazy lovable dog named Pez & two cats named Juicey & Tsunami. I'm a
vegan and I love animals, playing sports, being outdoors, taking photographs,
cycling and spending time with friends. I'm very laid back and I love to travel and
meet new people. I believe in living by the golden rule (you know, treat others as
you would like to be treated) and I believe everyone, both human and nonhuman,
deserves the right to be respected and revered.

Even though I now live in California, I grew up in the Midwest. I was born in South
Dakota & have lived in Iowa, Minnesota & Wisconsin. I grew up in the country
surrounded by animals of all kinds. I spent a lot of my time outdoors with my dog &
all the wonderful wildlife. Because of this, I have always had a deep love for
animals of all kinds.

I always wanted to spend my life doing something I love. To have the ability to
make a career out of something I love is a precious opportunity: an aspiration that
I have strived very hard over the years to accomplish. I grew up around animals,
and my family always encouraged my love for them. They taught me to always
have a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook on life, to work hard and do my
best in everything I do, and to always be kind, not just to other animals, but to
other people as well.

I remember the first time I helped an injured animal. When I was younger my mom
accidentally wounded a baby robin while mowing the yard. She immediately came
to me, asking what she should do. I was only ten at the time, and I had never dealt
with a situation like that before; I didn't know myself what to do. I looked through
the phone book for a veterinarian who might be able to help with no luck. I was lost
for ideas on how to help this bird, when I remembered that a woman had spoke at
my school a few weeks earlier about her wildlife rehabilitation center. Fortunately,
she lived nearby. I called her and told her my situation and she gave me directions
on how to care for the bird while my mom and I brought him to the wildlife center.
When we arrived, the lady told me that, with some additional treatment, this bird
should be able to live a normal life in the wild. While my role in saving this bird’s life
seemed trivial at the time, it was the first time I had another life in my hands, even if
just for a moment. And it felt great to be able to help.

I always dreamed of having a career that I really love -- to be able to make a
difference in the lives of others, to be able to have a positive impact in the world.
And I always believed that no matter what career path a person chooses to follow,
it should lead to something they love doing. Fortunately, the career path I have
chosen to follow will lead to just that. It will lead me to be someone who can make
a difference in the world, to someone who can protect the welfare of animals and
people as well as promote compassion and well-being -- to someone I want to
become -- a Veterinarian.

In my two years in veterinary school I have come to realize that shelter medicine &
wildlife rehabilitation are my two main passions. I was the past President of the
Shelter Medicine Club at my school & that position really helped me realize that
this is a field I want to go into. It is definitely not an easy area of veterinary
medicine to work in; however, I feel that in shelter medicine I will be able to make
the greatest difference for the greatest number of animals.

I am also very interested in international medicine & traveling to other countries
(especially Spanish-speaking countries) to provide veterinary care for animals
there. I love traveling & would love to be able to help animals & people all over the
world! And, I was just accepted to the University of Minnesota for their Masters in
Public Health Program, which I'll be starting this summer 2008. It's a busy & crazy
life but I wouldn't change it for the world!