Leah Anderson

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.” -Thomas Szasz

My name is Leah Anderson and my life consists of three things--my goal for the future, art, and mission work. I have known my whole life that I want to go to college to become a veterinarian. I have an intense passion for any living creature. As a little girl I caught anything that moved, from blue-bellied lizards that inhabited the cracks in the wood wall in the backyard, to rolly-pollies under rocks.

I quickly learned that I see that world differently than most. I notice the small details in things. I started drawing and painting, which led to art lessons for six years, then art classes in high school. Art acts as my main form of stress relief. It also gave me a way to stand out from the other 4,000 students at my school.

I went on my first mission trip during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school; I continued my mission work "Friends of Refugees" for three years and am still involved. During my senior year my AP studio portfolio consisted of paintings of the faces of the refugees I work with. Not only did I discover a love for mission work, I discovered a passion for nurturing others.