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How does your school prepare you for college? What steps does your school take to give you the experience of college? As a junior attending Cesar Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy, the school has started to get me thinking about college and career options. The Chavez Schools mission is to prepare scholars to enter and succeed in competitive colleges. As a soon-to-be senior it is almost time to start looking for colleges, but like most seniors I am confused on which school is right for me.

I have been at Cesar Chavez since 7th grade and have always had the same idea of what I was going to become after school — and that was a veterinarian. Since building a relationship with the staff at Cesar Chavez they have always been supportive of my dream. They encourage scholars to be a part of advanced placement courses, to think about a career versus a job, and to think about being the employee or the employer.

My experience at Cesar Chavez has been good so far, and since being there I have been to many colleges, met with sororities, and researched colleges that fit my career path. At charter schools, it’s about opportunity, success, and change, and attending a charter school I can see how true that is. Senior year for me will be interesting because I will be applying to different competitive colleges, receiving many opportunities for scholarship programs, and going on many more college visits.

Since enrolling in Chavez, I have taken college tours at Delaware State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, American University, University of The District of Columbia, University of Maryland, Bowie State University, and Marymount University. I have had the pleasure of meeting with members from sororities such as Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and many more. My encounters with the females in these sororities and how important it was for them to attend college and have their life path on track was interesting because they knew what they wanted to achieve and how they were going to do it. They were prepared for life after high school and they knew how important going to college was and making sure they had a successful career.

I know many people may wonder out of all the career options why choose to be a vet? I can say my dream of becoming a vet has been the same since I was 5. I have always had a passion for animals. When I was growing up I had a variety of animals such as 6 cats, 4 dogs, 2 birds, 1 iguana, and 2 lizards — if you name it I might have had it. I was never afraid of animals. Some might say I spoiled my pets and treated them like children. I have a very soft spot for animals and I think some people don’t know the importance of animals and how much they play a key role in life. My interest in being a vet came from my life experience with them. I know that finishing high school, going to college, and focusing on my career is important to my school and to me. I will be the first in my family to go to college and I will be a role model to someone else.

Sincerely, Briana McManus