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Class of 2025

Class of 2025: From Being Completely Alone to Conquering the Universe

A first-person essay from Carlos Gabriel Falto Zeno, a native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, who focused on food animal veterinary medicine. He will be working as a large animal veterinarian in Christiansburg, Virginia.

A black graphic with two pictures of a young man, one with a stethoscope and one with a calf

By Carlos Gabriel Falto Zeno

I remember something my dad said to me the day I got accepted to my undergraduate school back home in Puerto Rico. He told me, “You know why they call it a ‘university’? It’s because you’ll have the whole universe to explore.”

At first, I thought I understood what he meant — new people, different classes, a fresh start. But as the years passed and I entered veterinary school, that quote took on a whole new meaning.

University turned out to be much more than just attending lectures and studying a subject. It became a journey of discovering who I am and shaping my future in ways I had only dreamed of.

For undergrad, I left my parents’ house and my hometown. I lived with roommates and, eventually, on my own for five years; all still in Puerto Rico. When I got accepted into vet school and had to move far from home, I didn’t think much of it. I had already done it before.


But I couldn’t have been more wrong. I wasn’t prepared for how hard it was going to be.

I moved to North Carolina completely on my own. No family nearby, no real friends yet; vet school hadn’t even started. Suddenly, I found myself completely alone, a feeling I hadn’t truly experienced before.

I’ve always been a planner. I like knowing what I’ll be doing five or 10 steps ahead. But if there’s one thing that undergrad and vet school have taught me, it’s to live in the moment. And in those quiet, uncertain moments, I remembered what my dad had told me: “Explore the universe.”

Yes, vet school has been a hard journey, but I’ve gained so much from it: knowledge, life lessons, colleagues, friends, the woman I want to marry, a family.

As I stand here now, at the end of this chapter, I finally understand what my dad meant. The universe wasn’t just out there — it was within me all along, waiting to be discovered through every challenge, every late-night study session, every moment of doubt and joy.

Vet school didn’t just make me a veterinarian. It also made me a stronger, more compassionate person. I came here to learn how to care for animals, but I’ve also learned how to care for myself, for others and for the life I want to build. 

I’m especially grateful to the people who helped carry me through this journey, my classmates who became true friends, my dad whose advice has always stayed with me, and my mom who, even from far away, always knew exactly what to say when I needed it most. I also want to thank the rest of my immediate family and my old friends back home, who never stopped cheering me on even from a distance.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m even more excited for where I’m going. Whatever comes next, I know this: I’m ready. The universe is wide, and I can’t wait to explore it.

To those starting this journey, I say this:

You won’t always know where the path is leading, but trust that every step is shaping you into the person and professional you’re meant to become.