My name is Amanda Trompeta and I was a part of the amazing class of 2012. I’ve been meaning to put together this update for a while, but as many of you will soon see in college you have less free time then you did in high school, A LOT LESS free time! Mainly because graduating isn’t just about the next step in your life it’s also about growing up and learning even more about yourself.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be accepted into my first choice college the University of Central Florida. Not only was I accepted but about 90% of it was covered through scholarships that I earned through my hard work in high school. I was one of the few students of my class who “went away” to college and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It’s kind of corny but you really do find yourself. Especially when you’ve gotten yourself in sticky situations, like the one time I couldn’t find my car in the parking lot for 3 hours straight hours, it was past midnight and I was all alone. You start to learn how you react to difficult situations when no one else is around to help and how you work under pressure.
To summarize: Throughout the majority of college you will find yourself juggling a million things and trying not to drop any of the balls. I once heard someone say that you can’t have all 3 things in college “good grades, healthy social life and sleep.” Unfortunately, I am going into my third year now at UCF and that is very very true. As far as the course work itself, I really do feel like the reason I wasn’t pulling out my hair the first semester was because I never slacked off in high school (yes not even in my senior year haha thanks Dr. Louis!). I kept a decent study pace and that stayed with me when I first started college. That is why having some honor classes, AP, dual enrollment and/or whatever else is around today is so helpful.
As far as me, I am currently a Biology major on a Pre-Vet track and I will be applying to the only veterinary school in Florida (UF) within a year as well as some other out of state schools (I’m super nervous)! I finally got hired as an Animal Technician at one of the nicest hospitals in Oviedo and I’m getting a lot of one on one training in the vet field. I also have been interning with the extraordinary Dr. Randolph for over a year now and been learning everything from how to treat a cougar at the local wildlife sanctuary to how to spay an animal in under five minutes (the average is about 20 minutes). I seriously hope one day I can be as amazing as she is at surgeries.
Also, something that I’ve always been passionate about besides curing animals is SAVING them! For example, you’d be surprise how many kittens are put to sleep every day in every county you can think of, especially in the summer! After I moved into my own place I started testing the waters with fostering kittens (I had never been able before because my mom would have never had that lol). Now I can proudly say I’m addicted for life. I’ve personally fostered up to 15 kittens and 3 adult cats that were all on death row. It was while I was doing this and volunteering at the local kill shelter that I got inspired to look for people like me. So I started a whole new organization on campus called “Don’t Shop, Adopt” and in two semesters we’ve grown from 10 members to 103! Not to mention that as a club we’ve saved over 50 animals in two semesters, something I could have never done by myself.
If there is one thing that I have regretted is the fact that I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like to because of work and my summer classes. Nonetheless, that’s the beautiful thing about being in control of your future. You get to say “No! I WILL travel to _______ location by ______ date.” I already started saving up and next summer I’m planning on going to Bali for 2 weeks to volunteer at an animal sanctuary and explore the countryside.
If you’re interested in doing something similar feel free to email me or even if you have any questions about UCF or college itself, feel free to message me. :D
Best wishes,
Amanda Trompeta
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