This week’s Wendy’s of Santa Clarita and SCVTV Student Athlete of the Week is Mikaela McDow of Saugus girls basketball. Mikaela has a 4.3 GPA and scored 1700 on the SAT. She knows what she wants to do in life, and knows the education ahead will make that happen.

“I want to be a veterinarian,” Mikaela said. “So I have eight years of school to go to and I think it’s really important to get into a four-year college.”

Those colleges include Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and UC-Davis, but she is looking at Community College to start, most notably Pierce College.

“My preferred choice of college would be to start out at a community college since I’m going to eight years of schooling,” she said. “That way I can save a little bit of money and go to a bigger university.”

Her plans are to major in animal science in order to become a veterinarian, and also minor in genetics.

When it comes to the inspiration for her academic success, she goes straight home.

“I think the people that have inspired me most have been my parents,” Mikaela said. “Especially my mom. She’s going back to school to become a teacher even though she’s 43. She’s working hard and she’s a mom of four kids and she’s still doing it.”

And her advice for incoming freshman?

“Study for tests and don’t procrastinate,” she said. “And try to take as many hard classes as you can because they will pay off in the long run.”

Congratulations to Mikaela McDow of Saugus High School, the Wendy’s of Santa Clarita and SCVTV Student Athlete of the Week.