As the effects of senioritis kick in, many students are getting ready to leave high school and begin the next chapter of their lives at college. Trinity Thomas will be attending Penn State University with her financial aid helping her pave the way as she plans to major in animal science to become a veterinarian.

Thomas has always wanted to become a vet and has been shadowing her local veterinary office for the past four years. She works with Dr. Justin Kontir at the Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital.

“I want to be a veterinarian for numerous reasons,” Thomas said. “Animals obviously cannot speak on behalf of themselves, and to be a voice for them means everything to me. I want to be able to mend every animal that crosses paths with me so that they can have a happier and healthier life. “

Although Ohio State has always been a dream of hers, Trinity decided on Penn State for the financial aid they offered.

“The main factor in deciding to attend Penn State was largely the financial aid package that they offered me,” said Thomas. “They gave me so much money for their school scholarships it covered my tuition and then some so that money will go toward books even if they aren’t completely paid for.” She will have every opportunity at Penn State that she would’ve had at OSU, and despite the financial aid, the decision was anything but easy.

“The decision was extremely daunting,” Thomas said. “While it has been a ream of mine for so many years to attend Ohio State University, Penn State wasn’t far behind. OSU had everything and anything that I wanted in a school, and I worked extremely hard to get accepted there, but Penn State was able to offer more help financially.”

In the end, she decided to wait until the final day to commit and chose to further her education where she knew it was best.

“I was left with the decision of either chasing my dreams or pursuing something that I wasn’t too sure about due to the significant funds,” Trinity said. “I decided that I would rather go to Penn State and graduate with very little debt rather than unbearable debt with Ohio State.”

She will be attending the Fayette Eberly campus for two years before completing her schooling at the main campus. Heading to a new school is never easy, but it can also be a new beginning with lots of new opportunities.

“I have mixed emotions about starting college,” Thomas said. “It’s scary and exciting and mysterious, and most importantly, the beginning of the rest of my life. I am thrilled to be able to finally start this part of my life, but also feel a bit cumbersome about seeing my childhood come to an end.”