Helping animals is not really something that I set out to do. I’m not out here trying to treat animals—I don’t know how to bandage a wing or diagnose an illness. But if I see something suffering, I can’t just walk by.
Even back in high school, during Covid lockdown, I remember a mourning dove in my backyard with a broken wing. We kept it safe until a shelter opened again. I didn’t have the skills to heal it, but I knew enough not to let it get worse. I kept it in a small box with sticks and leaves. After a day or two, we drove it to the animal hospital and handed it to someone who could help.
That impulse has followed me to Brown. I notice animals others might ignore, and I stop—even if it’s just to sit with them, to acknowledge what they’re going through. Once on campus I saw a poisoned rat that was struggling to breathe. I couldn’t do anything, but I also couldn’t walk past. Some strangers stopped too, and it felt good knowing I wasn’t the only one who wanted to pause and show care, even in such a small way.
Of course, not everyone sees it like that. My roommate was horrified when I told her. She finds the idea of touching or even being near wild animals really strange—and to be fair, I get it. But for me it’s an emotional response. If I see suffering, I want to ease it however I can.
When I first came to Brown, I actually thought I might study veterinary medicine. I didn’t stay on that track, but the instinct that drew me to it hasn’t gone away. My friends like to joke that I love animals more than people, but I think it’s really about compassion in general.
Seeing animals has made me more critical about my own morals. This feels like low-hanging fruit—creating the world you want to live in, where people stop when they see suffering and help.
Vegan?
I can’t say it’s a moral thing about animals; the ungodly amount of meat I had at a Korean barbecue place a couple days ago would contradict that.
We’re each creating our own sense of self, trying to understand the principles we want to live by, what we want to stand for. I’m sure a lot of people my age are having these kinds of inner dialogues. I probably can’t solve world hunger, but if I see a bird in pain or a dog with mange, I’m going to do what I can to care for it.