Myongsun Kim
ePortfolio
The two most important animals in my life are Doya the pig and Dante the dog. I bought Doya as my FFA project in my sophomore year, not knowing anything about agriculture or anyone in FFA beforehand. Long story short, I did not realize that livestock doesn't have many options other than slaughter-house when the livestock show is over. Luckily, my friend's acquaintance's neighbor, Chris, had a large backyard and was interested in farm animals. Doya was rescued the day he was going to be shipped to the slaughterhouse. My bond with Doya inspired Chris to create Austin Farm Sanctuary, where Doya roams free with his 70+ animal friends.
By stepping outside of my comfort zone, I learned that veterinary medicine includes far more than just pets (and actually farming livestock is the origin of vet science). Trying to save Doya, I learned in-depth about veganism and animal rights movements, but by interacting with the people of the FFA, I also realized the importance of avoiding radical sources and confirmation bias.
Dante was a dog who lived in Thundering Paws Sanctuary. Dante died when I was out of town for a veterinary science competition. I got the call the next day after school from my boss, and I rushed to the sanctuary. He was still soft, but cold. My boss and I took his red collar off and hung it on the oak tree branch in the garden. That was the end of our 3 years of friendship.
And then I had a shift the next morning, an abandoned 3-day old kitten came in. The kitten was in immediate need of warmth and nutrition but he only screamed and refused to take KMR. So I came up with the idea and put him on my collar bone near my neck. He then started calming down, feeling my warmth and pulse and then starting nursing.
Unfortunately, the life span of most companion animals is much shorter than that of humans. Dante was one of the many animals I observed but couldn’t save. I ended up scoring very high on the veterinary competition, but that didn't save him. I do not believe that admission to the vet school or the certificate of DVM would have saved him either. What saved a life was compassion to hold a kitten with warmth and wisdom to provide best care. By loving animals, losing them, and welcoming new life, I learn how to cope with life. By further pursuing veterinary sciences, I hope to learn more about them and also about me.