Kara Heenan's Capstone

For my capstone, I volunteered at the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) located in Old City. The point of the capstone project is to reflect on your interests, and use that to make an impact in the world. I thought of doing this when I reflected on the goals I have in life, which is to become a veterinarian. I thought that this would be an amazing experience to contribute to that goal, to increase my experience with connecting to and taking care of animals while making a good impact and helping a non-kill shelter. In this way, it prepared me for my future. I was helping a good cause and it was also helping me. The process started when I filled out the volunteer application. I then got approved and attended an orientation, which taught me the responsibilities of each volunteer, and the actions each volunteer has to take. This was the ins and outs of taking care of the cats, which included cleaning their supplies, cleaning the rooms in which they stay in, feeding them and socializing them. I also took care of the dogs, which the actions were the same along with taking them for walks. I volunteered at PAWs every other Wednesday. Volunteering left me feeling satisfied, that I am helping a non-kill shelter and not receiving money from them in return. I learned a lot more about the animals I took care, coming across different kinds of dogs and cats and learning the disabilities or illnesses that they have, which will definitely prepare me for my future as a vet.