Personal Information:Name: Arnold ChangAddress: 23 Patterson Village Drive Apt 2Dayton, OH 45419Phone:(808) 358-3671DoB:March 7, 1995Email: arnoldchang2013@gmail.comCollege:Northeastern UniversityMajor:Computer EngineeringGrad date:May 2017Website:http://www.havahartwireless.com/scholarship

Selected Prompt: 2Prompt:Despite its recognition as a national holiday, Love Your Pet Day is not very well known among the broader population. Write a letter to the President explaining why you believe this day should be more formally recognized and suggest things that could be done to increase awareness.

February 1, 2015

Arnold Chang23 Patterson Village Dr Apt 2Dayton, OH 45419

Dear President Obama,

The United States of America is certainly no stranger to holidays. From the annual parading of people - young and old, black and white, men and women, Christian and Hindu - down Times Square to the solemn, patriotic meditation of our brave, selfless veterans, our feasts, festivities, and holy days are as diverse as our country itself.

The aforementioned national, or federal, holidays are here to stay. But there are alsofamilial holidays. Every September 13, we shower our grandparents with more hours of our eyes and ears than on any other day. Each year, on the 20th of November, children across the globe unite in a frenzy to declare to their superiors a day of claim. And, just a little over a week before St. Patricks Day, employers from the beaches of Hawaii to the banks of New York relax the reins of work for their 9-to-5ers1. We celebrate such observances neither because our country depended on them, nor because of its cultural importance. Rather, we dedicate a day to our grandparents, our children, our mothers and fathers, and to our employees because we desire a day to respect, honor and show our gratitude.

Though we may not consciously grant our pets the same privileges, our dogs, cats, birds, and contribute more than just dog parks and warm snuggle buddies at night. Their collective contribution to the American economy through pet supplies, pet shops, animal breeders, and veterinarian jobs notwithstanding, our pets effect on the mental and spiritual psyche and well-being cannot be overstated. And nor can their numbers: According to the U.S. census, in March of 2006, there were 114.4 million households2, but a grand total of 172.3 million3 pets (the loosely-defined term consisting of the sum total of dogs, cats, birds, and horses). In other words, by the numbers, a dog, cat, bird, or horse is more than qualified to count as part of the household.

The sheer presence of pets in our everyday lives - lets be honest, statistically, they have a larger say than our grandparents - and value that they provide us demands that we dedicate a day of celebration and gratitude for all theyve done. Such a day, tentatively set forth for the 20th of February, need not be difficult to entrench in the hearts of Americans. Certainly, merely by living, we may at times encounter a fiercely dog-person, or a person whose life fortune goes towards maintaining the bedrooms of cats and litter boxes, we never truly come across a man or woman who swears off pets altogether. A day of observance, of celebration and gratitude for our furry creatures, will thus not be difficult to establish. Although many names come to mind - Pets Day, Animals Day, Dogs and Cats Day - no other name besides Love Your Pets Day reflects how little our pets ask of us each and every day. In return for this small price, we receive a lifetime of idyllic, untarnished, honest fun and fulfillment.

With all tongue and cheek,

Arnold ChangNortheastern University

1"Holidays in United States in 2015." Timeanddate. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. .2"U.S. Households,1 Families, and Married Couples, 18902007." Infoplease. 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. .3"Table 1241. Household Pet Ownership: 2006." U.S. Census Bureau. United States of America, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. .