Ava Thompson

Hi! My name is Ava Thompson and I am a Freshman from Dallas, TX. Since I was little I have been a big animal person. I had two dogs when I was in elementary school but I was too young to really enjoy them. I haven’t owned a dog since all because of my dad. He likes to joke that my little 11 year old brother is basically the family dog. Because I can’t have any animals of my own I started volunteering at an animal shelter. It was at Operation Kindness, where I walked dogs and washed food bowls, that I found out about fostering. My dad actually supported the idea since the animal shelter provided all necessities for the animals and I agreed to do all the work. Since then I have fostered over 20 dogs, kittens, puppies, and cats over the past 6 years. I actually ended up writing my Common App essay about a specific dog that I had fostered through Covid named Keegan (a stubby half basset hound half dachshund). I try to get the animals I foster adopted by families in my neighborhood so I can make frequent visits which has worked out very well. My very first set of puppies were adopted by my next door neighbor and my math tutor, so I get to see them kinda whenever. I am planning on fostering animals once I am maybe a junior or a senior living in a house because I love it so much.