Amber Hamann

My name is Amber Hamann. I immigrated to the United States in 2017 from South Africa. I came to America for a better life and more opportunities, and I don't plan to waste them. When I first arrived in the United States, it was difficult. People couldn't always understand what I was saying because I had an accent and South Africans use a lot of slang that people don't use here. Even going to school was difficult because the curriculum was so different. I didn't have the math knowledge that a lot of people had, and in South Africa, children learn to read in first grade instead of in kindergarten. Despite all of this, my third grade teacher still recommended that I try out for the gifted program my first year being in the United States. The culture is still very different, and I am still having to figure things out on my own, but I am going to be a first-generation college student and go into animal science anyway. I have always loved animals and have known that I want to do something with animals in the future. I was even given the amazing opportunity to intern at Petwise, a mobile vet. I got to apply the knowledge I had learned in school to real-life situations and even learn new knowledge. The internship also further solidified my decision to work with animals.