The Woman Behind Her Animals

Since before I could walk, I’ve said the same three things about myself: my name is Clara, I’m trilingual, and I’m going to be a veterinarian. What’s changed over time isn’t the goal but the depth of my understanding of what “animal care” actually requires.

When I was only 6 I begged my parents to put me in the SPCA summer program. While I was there I visited different areas, and witnessed veterinarians passing by doing their jobs. As I watched them move with purpose and expertise, I whispered to myself one day that will be me. I would no longer be the blissful kid struggling to stay in a single file line, as I failed to remember the names of different cats. One day I will be the determined veterinarian who walks around aware that her knowledge and decisions are improving the health of an animal.

This summer, I will be attending a UC Davis’ Animal Science program which will provide me with hands-on exposure working with larger farm animals, being guided by professionals as I learn the science behind husbandry, nutrition, health and welfare. I hope to leave the program with practical skills, sharper observation, and a clearer picture of veterinary medicine, bringing me one step closer to my dream.

I also began volunteering at Abrazo Animal, an animal shelter in Madrid. I dedicate my Sundays to walking dogs, cleaning habitats, feeding animals, and socializing them. I realized not only how strongly human behaviour can impact an animal, but also the way animal behaviour affects humans. From there, I began to look into how our own sense of worth impacts our life, limiting us to small areas of things we have classified ourselves worthy of doing. I noticed how dogs and animals did not feel this same sense of worth and self consciousness.

After watching the short film The Present, which follows a boy who is disabled but has learned to see his disability as something that makes him less worthy, pushed me to think more seriously about how we assign value, both to animals and to people. When he is gifted a disabled puppy, he initially rejects it, not because he doesn’t recognize himself in it, but because he has already internalized society’s labels about limitation and worth. The puppy, however, carries no such judgment. It does not see itself as broken or lacking; it simply exists with joy, trust, and presence. As the boy begins to connect with the dog, the contrast becomes clear: labels taught to humans can fracture our sense of self, while animals, free from self-consciousness, offer acceptance without condition.

I am starting an organization that works on pairing differently abled animals to similarly abled humans. I am researching animal-assisted therapy, building partnerships, and developing the program’s framework. The goal of this organization is to aid humans through animal behavior. For instance, a tripod dog is not aware of their loss and sees themself as any other dog. Animals do not measure worth by function, and being around them has pushed me to unlearn those same human-imposed standards. I have grown passionate about this and I want to expose this reality, in hope of aiding as many humans and animals as I can.

I still return to the image of my younger self, watching veterinarians move with calm purpose, believing that becoming a vet simply meant learning how to treat bodies. Now I understand it also means learning how to protect dignity especially for the animals people overlook, and the people who have been taught to overlook themselves. I’m not just chasing a childhood dream anymore. I’m building a future where care is measured by patience, not perfection and where both animals and humans are reminded they were never broken.