Ali Luciani, arts & living editor

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved animals and had a soft spot for them. Some of my earliest memories involve being around animals, and as I have gotten older, that love only grows. The more time I spend volunteering at no-kill animal shelters and advocating for animal rights, the more I have realized that love is not always enough.

Animals cannot speak for themselves when they are abused, neglected or placed in unsafe situations. They rely on people to recognize when something is wrong and to have the courage to do something about it. This is why I believe it is important for people to advocate for them and work towards creating stronger protections for their welfare.

Animal welfare is often viewed as something based entirely on compassion. While compassion is important, I think the issue is much bigger than simply caring about animals. Caring about animals is what initially draws many people to this cause, but meaningful changes require more than good intentions.

There are laws that determine how animals can be treated, but laws only matter when people are willing to enforce them and advocate for stronger protections. Animals can be victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation, but they do not have the ability to explain what happened to them or defend themselves in the courtroom. That responsibility falls on people who are willing to stand up for them.

This is one of the reasons I want to become an animal welfare lawyer. I do not just want to say that I care about animals, I want to be able to use my future career to actually help protect them and be their voice.

My experiences volunteering at no-kill animal shelters have made this goal feel even more important to me. When you spend time around animals who have been mistreated or abandoned, it becomes difficult to look at animal welfare as an abstract issue.

These are individual animals that depend on people to provide them with safety, care, love and a second chance. Volunteering has shown me that even small actions can make a difference, but it has also made me want to do more.

That is also why I am grateful for the opportunity to have an internship with former prosecutor and renowned animal law expert, Claudine Wilkins. Being able to learn from someone who has built a career around advocating for animals has given me a better understanding of what it means to turn my passion into actual work.

I will also be a volunteer at the Animal Protection and Wellness Expo at Avalon on Oct. 23, which is an event that will host over 30 speakers, courses and an exhibit hall with over 100 booths all about learning more in depth about animal welfare and how I can incorporate that in my career and everyday life.

I know that I cannot change every problem animals face on my own, even though I wish I could. However, I believe change starts with people being willing to care enough to do something. For me, that means volunteering, advocating and eventually learning the laws and incorporating them to protect animals.

I do not want my love for animals to stop at simply feeling bad when I see an animal in need. I want it to become something productive and make a difference. Animals deserve people who are willing to stand up for them, and I hope to spend my career being one of those people.