Please review my college applicationessay

Topic:Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

I grew up in a family that was mostly non vegetarian. Vegetables were eaten but they were the side dishes to the main non vegetarian dish.
I was rather young – age 4 to be precise when I decided to become vegetarian. What prompted me at such a young age and with such determination that till today I have not touched animal products excluding milk , milk products and eggs.
I simply refused to eat any meat or fish. In school, my teacher spoke about animals and how they were slaughtered and killed in cruel manners for their flesh. Immediately to mind came my dog and I could not fathom the thought of her being cut and eaten.
After this incident , I along with my parents went to San Francisco for a holiday. There was a program on television which depicted in gory detail how animals were slaughtered and I could see the pain and bewilderment in their eyes as they were cut. I saw how fowls were placed in cages and how cows were put in stalls with no place to move and were milked till the blood flowed and I determined that I did not want to be one who ate the meat of these helpless, wordless , defenceless creatures.
My parents tried to convince me to at least eat meat or fish occasionally, stating that I needed the nourishment it provided but I would not be convinced.
As I grew up, I tried my best to convince my parents and friends to become vegetarian. Finally after nearly 10 years my father became vegetarian and my mother also rarely eats meats.
My love for animals grew by the year. Every year I along with my friend visited mud flats in Mumbai where flamingoes migrated to escape severe western winters. Every year however there were fewer flamingoes than the previous year. On enquiring I discovered that the sea bed was heavily polluted and man had encroached on the natural environment and the mud flats were slowly disappearing and due to this and the pollution the flamingoes which were such a beautiful sight every year also were disappearing. So when I was nine years, I decided with a friend to start a campaign to “save the flamingoes”. We made posters showing why the flamingoes were disappearing and went from building to building and in my church to educate people about the environment and how we should change to save the flamingoes.
In the city where I live, Mumbai, India there is no value for human life and animals unless they are the holy cow are mistreated. About 6 years ago, I became aware of the plight of horses. Race horses once they were old and of no commercial value were sold to chariot drivers. These horses were then used to pull heavy chariots full of tourists and were hardly given any food or drink. They ended up scrawny and emaciated and often as not collapsed on the road as they were beaten if they did not move fast enough. I therefore joined a campaign to rescue these horses and stop them being sold for such work. Unfortunately till today the chariots yet run but people are now aware and a good citizen sometimes reports mistreatments when they observe it happening.
To come to the last part of the topic – would I make the same decision again? Yes, I would because as my parents taught me every drop counts and if I do my bit to stop animal slaughter by not eating there is one less customer and one day we as humans will learn that every life counts. Humans and animals who do not speak are both living and deserve a chance to live fruitful lives.