By Ian Thompson
When Acena Uribe stepped forward to accept her graduation diploma, she became the first member of her family to have graduated from high school, and she already had a specific plan for after graduation.
That is, packing her bags for Sonoma State University this fall to begin her career as a veterinarian.
“I want to be able to help animals get better, and it’s like helping people get better, too,” Uribe said, referring to the place that pets have in their human companions’ hearts.
The 17-year-old Vacaville native is the third-oldest of eight children in a family that, on her mother’s side, goes back at least two generations in Vacaville.