Your Reason
Your Story:
Choose a “critical incident” that set you on your path and helped you uncover how you want to make an impact (your contribution) through your senior project experience.
To be honest, my idea for what I want to do for my senior project is constantly evolving and changing. When I first created my purpose statement, I wanted to do something that involved animal rights, but now I’m thinking more about mental health awareness, specifically regarding the LGBTQ+ community. I first wanted to do a project surrounding animal rights because of the multiple animal rescue situations I have been in. For example, one day after volleyball practice last year, my friend and I were walking home when she got a call from her uncle. He told us that when he was walking in Chelsea he found an abandoned pit bull. Someone had tied her to a parking sign pole with her bed, food, and toys. My friend and I were in the area so we decided to meet her uncle and help him try to figure out what to do. When we got there, we saw this big, smiling pit bull. She was so excited to see people and be around people. She wanted everyone to pet her and be near her. She was one of the sweetest dogs ever. Unfortunately, it was clear that she had some medical issues; her breathing was really bad and she was coughing and wheezing, her nails hadn’t been clipped in forever, and she had an ear infection. This sweet, loving dog was not being taken care of and had just been left on the street; it was heartbreaking. We decided to call the nearest vet and take her in for an emergency appointment. When we got there, they gave her water and scanned her for a microchip. They found her owner through her microchip and they called the owner. The owner said she had no choice but to leave her dog there; she didn’t have the means to care for the dog and the owner said she, the dog, barked too much. We were all astounded by her disregard and lack of care this woman had. Eventually, another woman walked into the vet to check in on some test results she had done for her other dog and she asked us what happened. Before we knew it, she was volunteering to adopt and care for the dog. By the end of the night, this pit bull had a new home and was put on antibiotics for her issues. This story inspired me to make other people understand how important animal rights are and how big of an issue this is, especially in our own backyard.
Your Resources
Your Strengths: perception, trustworthiness, artistry, compassion
Describe how you uncovered this interest/curiosity/passion (what energizes you) and what you’re good at (your talent).
Animal rights is something that I’ve been passionate about for as long as I can remember. I’ve always loved going to zoos and learning about different animals and their habitats. I used to hate zoos before I learned how helpful they can be, when they do the right thing. For example, the Central Park Zoo and the Bronx Zoo provide homes for so many animals that are too sick or unable to live in the wild. They take really good care of their animals and prioritize their health and well being over anything else, especially profit from the general public. They want to educate people about the animals and the importance of stopping climate change and keeping habitats safe. However, I am also really interested in LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness. I am a part of my school’s GSA and have participated in LREI’s AFSP Walk for the past 2 years. It is something that is really important to me and I want to learn more about it, the integration between the two, and educate my peers on.
Your Result
State Your Purpose: “My purpose is to authentically empower people to understand the importance of animal rights so that humans, animals, and the planet can safely co-exist.”
Share Your How: How will you deliver that purpose to the world through your Senior Project? What will you do/make?
Give a call to action: How do you want people to help you deliver your purpose?
I am still unsure of how I want this to go; I am still juggling two topics that I am really passionate about.