Coral Gables High senior Elisabeth Wurmser wants to be a veterinarian. She has wanted to be a vet since she was a little girl. So she has been volunteering at the Humane Society, walking the dogs to give them exercise.
Wurmser would go every weekend for three hours and then after fulfilling certain requirements, she was able to go to adoption events in places like Miami Beach or Marlins Park to help with paperwork.
“There would be usually six dogs and a maximum of four would get adopted,” she said. “When we went to Coconut Grove. I think one or two got adopted. I think we were also there to spread the word that we are a shelter that is non-kill.”
Now that she has worked closely with animals, she is even more certain that she wants to be a vet.
At school, Wurmser is in the National Honor Society and vice president of the International Baccalaureate Honor Society. She is treasurer of the French Club and a member of the Save Our Sports Club.
Wurmser plays badminton for Gables. Last year, she played mixed doubles and won at the district tournament.
“My coach told me I’d be captain this year,” she said.
She also runs cross-country. For the past two years the Gables team has gone to state but this year, the teams in the district changed and there were more of them, including several that were cross-country powerhouses.
This past summer, Wurmser spent seven weeks in Paraguay going to high school.She stayed with a host family and while there, tutored students in French or English while she learned Spanish.
Wurmser knew French because she lived in France until seventh grade. She knew English because her mom is American, originally from South Dakota.
For college, Wurmser is looking at U Penn, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina. Her state school choices are UF, FSU and FIU.
— Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
