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A portion of Margaux's winning essay:
When I think of the question, which profession makes a difference and
helps others? The first that comes to mind is a medical profession. This
is why going into a medical career is so important to me. My goal in
life is to improve the lives of people and animals, I want to have a
positive impact on the world and that is why I love to volunteer. I
volunteer with the Placer Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals and the Northern California Beagle Rescue, both are non-profit
organizations. I have been a volunteer with the Placer S.P.C.A for 2
years, last year I volunteered over 250 hours. I absolutely love
volunteering with these organizations, it is incredibly rewarding and it
helps so many animals. At the Placer S.P.C.A., I walk, socialize and
train dogs on the Agility Course as well as using Basic Training.
One of the biggest dangers to dogs in kennels is shelter stress. If the
animals are in stressful shelter conditions and are not properly
socialized, they become susceptible to shelter stress and they usually
end up getting euthanized. Because of the volunteers available and the
time they spend at the shelter, the Placer S.P.C.A. does not put down
adoptable animals. I enjoy walking and socializing dogs because it is
such simple thing to do, yet it makes such a great difference. I also
teach the dogs’ Basic Training such as sit, down, walking on a leash and
not jumping up. Dogs with Basic Training get adopted faster and are less
likely to be returned to our shelter because of unruly behavior.
In addition, I am an Agility Course Volunteer. I train dogs on the
Agility (Obstacle) course and help some newer volunteers with the
course. Agility is a wonderful activity because it is a way for the dogs
to spend their energy in a productive way, build up confidence, and
increase their adoption potential. I have seen the Agility Course work
miracles with animals, so many dogs that I train are completely
different after couple of days of Agility Training. The dogs enjoy it so
much and it is a lot of fun for the volunteers.
I am also the first and only Junior Volunteer (volunteer under 18) on
the Petmobile team. The Petmobile is a community outreach program at the
Placer S.P.C.A. where volunteers take animals out to different locations
to try to get them adopted and to educate the public. At first, the
Petmobile Team and Coordinator were not sure whether it would be
acceptable to have a 14 year old volunteer on the team; nevertheless,
they let me take the Petmobile class and become a Petmobile volunteer. I
am 16 now and still involved with this program. One of the reasons why I
love the Petmobile so much is that I not only get to be with animals but
I also get to interact with the public. I am able to help and educate
people, to talk to them about animal welfare, spaying/neutering,
adoption, and volunteering. Many of them have questions about our
various programs and proper animal care, and I am always glad to answer
them. I get so much satisfaction from knowing that I have helped people
and their animals.
Other volunteer opportunities that I participate in at the Placer
S.P.C.A. consist of volunteering at special events, booths, and parades.
The Petmobile also gets invited by the community to parades and it is
always a great opportunity to show off our adoptable animals. At special
events, volunteers are always needed; I have helped with fundraising,
dog painting booths, and even standing on a street corner as a “Placer
S.P.C.A. Sign Shaker”.
I also attend Volunteer and Petmobile Volunteer Meetings. These meetings
give volunteers the opportunity to improve our shelter, programs and
community as well as making important decisions. I have been attending
these meetings for 2 years. By doing this, I have a say in how we handle
issues in our community and shelter. These meetings help coordinate all
of our efforts to help the ones without a voice, animals.
Another non-profit organization that I am involved with is the Northern
California Beagle Rescue; I have a beagle of my own, so this breed is
close to my heart. I have been a volunteer and foster home for this
wonderful rescue group for a year and I love it. A couple Saturdays a
month, I go to the Petsmart Pet store to try to get beagles adopted, as
well as to educate the public about our rescue. As a foster home, I
provide a temporary home for beagles until they get adopted. Foster
homes are an important part of our organization since they usually
determine the number of beagles we can take in. We can only save a
certain amount of beagles from euthanasia; it all depends on the amount
of foster homes available since we do not have an actual shelter. The
Northern California Beagle Rescue receives beagles through owner
surrenders, research companies, and overcrowded shelters.
I also like to contribute to my community in other ways. Laws greatly
affect the State of California, and by being active with legislation, I
am making my voice heard. I contact my legislators about important bills
and collect letters from the public to send to district and capitol
offices. I am mostly active with legislation that involves animals, for
example A.B.1634, the California Healthy Pets Act and S.B.1578, the
California Anti-Tethering bill, which passed last year. I spent most of
this summer working on A.B.1634. I called Senators and Assembly Members
and sent them letters every day to show my support. In fact, the
overwhelming support contributed to many of the positive votes from
Assembly members. The California Healthy Pets Act was pulled from the
Senate to be amended and voted on during spring 2008. I also worked with
the Central San Diego Regional Coordinator for A.B.1634 and Founder
North Star Pet Assistance.
In addition, I am an A.S.P.C.A. Community and Humane Teen Community
member. As an A.S.P.C.A. Community member, I offer advice to other
animal owners who reach out for help. I also save over 40 sq. feet of
rainforest each day by visiting EcologyFund.com. Saving rainforest and
preventing global warming will ensure that the rainforest’s diverse
species survive, and that wildlife will not be destroyed. I also try to
volunteer with local shelters when I am on vacation. I have helped the
Mendocino Humane Society by walking dogs for a couple of hours. It is
not much, but I believe even a little bit of time helps.
I have raised awareness about animal welfare by participating in the Del
Oro High School Day of Silence. Students do not talk for a day to show
their support and opinion about issues in our society. I made a sticker
that said “silence to stop animal cruelty”; I did not speak for 2 days
and many people were interested in hearing about animal welfare.
Aside from helping homeless animals, I also like to be active in school.
I have volunteered for the Del Oro Drama Department. I have worked as a
Theater House Manager, Usher, and selling food to raise money for the
department. I was one of the top artistic students at Del Oro High
School chosen by the Leadership Class to design and paint the homecoming
banner 3 years in a row. I have designed and painted the banner my
freshmen, and sophomore and junior year. I have also helped in our
community by painting the Blue Goose, an old building in our town.
As a former member of the Del Oro Art Club and former Vice President of
the Del Oro Earth Club, I have seen many school clubs make a difference
in their community, so I decided to start my own. I am the Founder and
President of the Del Oro Animal Welfare Club. The Del Oro Animal Welfare
Club has yet to have a meeting, I have been working on creating it for
the past few months and I am in the finishing process. Our club has an
advisor and there are many students who are waiting to attend the first
meeting. Our goal is to create fundraisers, to raise awareness of animal
related issues, and to contribute to improving animal welfare. Our
purpose is to create a more humane environment for animals in the Del
Oro High School surrounding communities. I have many goals for this club
and I will ensure that it is involved and active in the community. I am
already planning out fundraisers where our club will donate the money to
needy organizations.
Being a vegetarian is another accomplishment that is very important to
me. I have been a strict vegetarian for 2 years now and I believe that
it shows compassion and dedication to an issue I feel passionate about.
Becoming a vegetarian was quite an obstacle, my entire family eats meat.
I also had never met a vegetarian; where I live, it is not a popular
lifestyle.
Aside from volunteering, I work 6-7 days a week. I have 2 jobs; both of
them consist in working with companion animals. I do not earn much
money, but I put every cent in a college savings account. I started my
first job at 15 years old and my second at 16 years old. At my first
job, I work for the Nolan Family ranch. I feed, exercise, and take care
of their horses and goats; I also water trees, clean manure, and help
with any outside tasks. At my second job, I work for the non-profit
rescue: Greyhound Friends for Life. Greyhound Friends for Life does not
pay us; we are paid by a generous person, who then donates our services
to them. This job consists of letting the dogs out in runs to exercise,
socializing, feeding, giving medication, washing dishes, doing laundry,
cleaning the shelter/kennels, and making sure that the dogs are healthy
and doing well. Greyhounds are sweet, loving dogs; like many other
animals they are taken advantage of and are constantly raced. If they
cannot race or have been injured they are deemed useless and are put
down or given to rescues and shelters. I am so glad to be able to help
these wonderful animals, there are so many out there that need help. I
wish I had more time so I could help them all.
I have had many challenges in life and they have helped me realize that
I need to help others going through difficult times. One of the most
significant hardships was moving to the United States. My father was
from California and my mother was from France; she had met my father
through an exchange program. Once they were married, my parents moved to
France, my mother gave birth to me, and my father started working as an
Overseas Sales Manager at a Printing Book Manufacturer company. This
type of work required him to travel all over Europe; therefore, he would
be gone for months at a time. It was lonely for my mother, my sister and
I and we often missed him. Then the day came where my diabetic
grandfather, who lived in the United States, became very ill. My parents
decided to move back so that my father could be with him for the last
years of his life. I was 9 years old when my parents told me that we
were moving to the United States. I was born in France and I had lived
there for most of my life, it was a shock for my sister and me that we
were moving to a strange country. My parents knew that this was not
going to be an easy transition for us, but we had yet to realize this.
Indeed, I came to California without speaking a word of English. We
moved into Section 8 housing apartments in Lincoln, California. The
first week of school, my mother stayed in the classroom with me because
I could not understand what my teacher and fellow students were saying;
she spoke English, so I greatly appreciated her presence. The culture
also took time getting used to and with these barriers, it was hard to
have a social life. Little by little and with great difficulty, I
learned to speak, write, and read. I worked very hard in school and
earned a 4.0 GPA. Then something even worse and unthinkable happened, my
mother filed for divorce. From then on, everything went downhill. My
parents were separated, yet still lived in the same house; they fought
every single day. They lived together for a year, causing many
arguments, and I became ill with depression. I went from earning
straight A's to earning straight F's. I felt guilty and somewhat
responsible for our living situation and I lived every day in pain. My
family had been very close and it was difficult to cope with such a
dramatic change. I did not enjoy school anymore, I had no friends and my
parents were very disappointed with me. After a couple of years, I began
to feel better about my life and the world around. I have not forgotten
how it feels to be in the situation I was in and that is why I want to
go into the medical field, to make a difference in the lives of others.
My purpose in life is to help as many animals and people as I can. I
plan to become a Veterinarian by going to the University of California
in Davis, I have a current 4.0 GPA (3.875 Cummulative), I was accepted
into the California Scholarship Federation because of my grades and I am
on the Del Oro Academic Wall of Fame because of citizenship and grades.
I take A.P. and Honors and Sierra College math, chemistry and science
classes; I am also in the top 8% of my class (over 400 students).
Education is important to me and I know that by earning these grades I
will be able to attend a great college. If I do get enough money for
college and become a Veterinarian, I will volunteer my services to
shelters, rescues, and disaster relief.
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