Looking back on my childhood, the majority of my toys were animal related. In fact, my first toy was a stuffed horse that my grandmother gave me. In the first few years of my life, I lived in San Luis Obispo, which has many farms. My mother would constantly take me down to them on our street and let me pet the horses, goats, etc. When I got older, I would constantly bug my mom to take me to the local zoo or to sign me up for horse riding lessons. Throughout my life, animals have always been a part of me. I have always been interested in animals, mostly about their behavior and health, driven by my curiosity and love for them. I remember sitting on my couch with my grandmother watching her cats, trying to figure out why they did certain things. Why did they move their tails in different motions? What did each signal mean? Similarly, I often tagged along with my mom to Puppy Kindergarten and observed her while she trained the dogs. I was so fascinated. These observations would pay off as I later was able to teach my dog various tricks on my own. Likewise, when I was 6 years old, my grandfather's llama was giving birth, and I stayed for the entire process. Most people would run away and claim that it was gross, but not me. I stayed and watched the whole time, amazed and interested about what was happening. My parents tell me that when the vet came, they had to hold me so that the vet could actually go take care of the llama because I would not leave the Veterinarians side while asking a million different questions. This curiosity towards animals behavior and health continues for me today. Along with being in love with animals, I also love playing volleyball, watching and analyzing film; I have been madly in love with Star Wars since was I was four years old. I also enjoy hiking, and making art pieces in various mediums. Currently, I am doing a concentration (a series of art pieces that relate to one theme) of 12 pieces based on how animals are similar to people, whether that is physical or emotional. At the moment, I am a senior with a dream to major in animal sciences or zoology, and like most 17/18 year olds, I am confused about what I want to do specifically in these fields. I don't know if I want to become a veterinarian, an animal trainer, or maybe some job that I have never heard of before related to animals. I believe this internship will help me find my way in terms of possible careers. Through the various presenters, I hope to get a better understanding of them all and to find my calling. Through my blog, I hope that my experiences will help others get answers about whether or not they want work with animals while simultaneously feeding the curiosity of all my readers. Lauren Winter Session, 2018