Last year Jane decided to take an AP biology class where she became excited about the idea of evolution and the study of genetics. She is especially interested in genetic diseases and the growing ethical debate about what society will do with new genetics technology and information.

About six months ago Jane decided that traditional high school was not for her and since then she has explored charter schooling, home schooling, and self-directed learning. She loves to read and talk about education, how people learn, and how communities form. Jane also enjoys painting and drawing people, making jewelry out of trash and found objects, historical costuming, rock climbing, meeting new people, and traveling cheaply.

In a few years Jane hopes to attend college somewhere in the Pacific Northwest and pursue a career in conservation, genetic research, or art and design. She would like to meet people offering jobs or internships pertaining to these fields of study.

She is on the Zoo InternQuest Conservation Team.

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For most of my middle school and high school career I have played water polo, swum competitively, and surfed at the local beaches whenever the time is right and the surf is high. If I am not in some body of water then you can probably find me watching a movie or reading a good book, as I enjoy watching or reading a story unfold equally. I also like to spend time going to the beach with my friends just to play some beach volleyball, kayak, and in the night have big pit fires, although these activities are usually on the weekends and during long summer days.

I suppose my real interest in animals started while I was reading books on dinosaurs. Their outlandish shapes and inhuman features made these archaic beasts a hobby for me. Although I’ve since grown out of this fixation of the ancient reptiles I have now replaced them with a fascination with today’s creatures in the world. Their study and protection have become topics that I am always curious about.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Photo Team.

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At the age of at least two, I journeyed to Hawaii where my parents and I – strapped to my mother’s back – hiked in the Hawaiian bamboo forests and visited the stunning waterfalls. Six years old and dressed in hiking boots and cargo shorts, I am captured running through a field of wispy yellow grasses in Yosemite National Park. Splashing my dog with cold, clear blue river water among rocks of massive size and mountains of healthy green trees, my fourth trip to King’s Canyon was retold. From the young age of 2 to my current age of 16, I have been to Canada, where most of my family resides, Hawaii (Maui, Lanai, Molokai), Cozumel and other parts of Mexico, Florida, New York and other East Coast cities, all of the West and northern pacific states, and many other places. Lacrosse and soccer games would take me to cities all over California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Every visit to these different places has involved the outdoors in some way, whether it was hiking, field sketching, snowboarding, sports, or scuba diving. Always seeing something new in every new destination, animals were the first things that I would look for or would seize my attention.

Because most of my travels occurred earlier in my lifetime, my interest for animals and their importance in our ecosystem has intrigued me since I was very young. Not only would visits to the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and SeaWorld ignite my love for animals, so did a man in khaki shorts. Steve Irwin helped me develop my current appreciation and understanding of animals and their ecological place in the environment. His enthusiasm and intelligence caught my attention every time I tuned in to the “Crocodile Hunter,” and I knew that I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Who wants to be a lawyer? I wanted to be a zoologist. Hey, I still do! Not only would I be able to work in a field that involves animals and the environment, I would also be able to learn about ecology. Studying subjects that I have grown up to love, appreciate, and admire: that’s my dream job. It doesn’t matter how much money I make; it’s how content I am and how I affect the rest of the world. By learning about the many animals that compose the planet we call Earth, how we affect them and how they affect us, and what we can do to protect them, my desire is to educate others and share my enthusiasm for what I love. Hopefully, as an individual, I can make a difference, even if it’s small.

Zoo InternQuest is one step towards making that difference. By working with members of the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) program, I hope to gain the knowledge that I can hopefully use in the future when educating others about the animals and wildlife that affected me so greatly in my childhood. Being a senior in Del Mar and applying to about 13 colleges that specialize in environmental and biological sciences, I look forward to accompanying specialists behind the scenes and learning about conservation and what we can do to help preserve the many animals and endangered species. By expanding my knowledge in the area of conservation, hopefully I can help in the movement to preserve the animals that one day might move our children to become conservationists, zoologists, and ecologists.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Careers Team.

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Life has always fascinated me with its intricacy. I recall sitting on the lawn in my backyard, examining a leaf of grass. Its miniscule veins enraptured me with its delicacy and complexity. I like to think of myself as a keen observer. Ever since I was small, I have loved observing the subtle details in life. I enjoy looking at the species of birds that fly across my patio, the structure of their nests, and the random plants that pop up in my garden. Many times, the things I don’t notice surprise me with their multitude. Life always has something exciting in it.

I fell in love with wildlife after I joined Zoo Corps in eighth grade. The program gave me insight into exotic animals and plants and I was allowed to explore how the San Diego Zoo functioned. In tenth grade, I joined a community volunteer program where I was allowed to treat local animals and help them recuperate. However, I felt that I needed to do more than simply help animals myself. I started the Animal Appreciation Club and helped spread the importance of conservation to my classmates.

By joining Zoo InternQuest, I hope to learn more about animals and their habitats, in a far deeper way than any community service program could offer. I am looking forward to learning with the best zoologists in the nation and visiting such places as CRES, the San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park. Through this experience, I wish to narrow down my long list of career choices and learn whether or not I really want to become a zoologist.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Real World Team.

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I have always had many pets and if any of my former teachers needed someone to take care of their class pets my family was always the one to take them in. Currently I have two dogs, two geckos, assorted fish, and around a dozen cephalopods. Aside from these I have an older sister, who is now in college, and a younger brother, who is a sophomore at the same school as me. Ever since I first went to the Zoo or SeaWorld, I knew that I wanted to work with animals. Whenever I told my parents that I was going to be the performer with Shamu, they would always say, “You won’t make much money, but you’ll sure have fun.” I have decided, since then, that life is not worth living unless you have fun, and this program is looking to be very fun.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Animal Careers Team.

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My name is Veronica, and I am a senior at a high school in sunny San Diego. I have one sister, Janessa, who, as much as I hate to admit it, is already as mature as I am and taller still, despite the fact that she is only in the 6th grade. I am also lucky enough to have two wonderful parents, Janet and Nikhil, who have always supported me, whether it means hauling me back and forth from the Zoo or just staying up until three in the morning to help me with my homework.

The daughter of the past president of Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), I am a born and bred conservationist. AMRF focuses on the growing epidemic of plastic pollution in our beautiful oceans, and it is in their cause that I discovered my passion. However, it has only been within the last year or so that I really decided to attempt to build a career out of the study of the effects of plastics and the possible alternatives. Right from the beginning, Zoo InternQuest has helped me learn more about conservation efforts that are taking place all over the world. I am sure that this opportunity will help all of us interns fulfill our goals, whether we plan to be conservationists, biologists, veterinarians, or just plain old nature lovers.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Conservation Team.

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Once I graduate from high school I plan to study biology or psychology in college, possibly even double major in both subjects. Sciences, especially biology, are fascinating to me, and directly relate to my preferred future career. Since elementary school I have dreamed about becoming a veterinarian and one day owning my own practice. This was inspired by my love of animals, and became a definite interest of mine when I got the opportunity to inject a diabetic cat with its daily dose of insulin. That was a defining moment of sorts in terms of my career choice. While my determination to go into veterinary science has remained strong throughout the years following that incident, my increased knowledge of other biology related careers has caused me to expand my horizons in terms of my investigation. After taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the Birch Aquarium I have considered going into marine biology, and I hope Zoo InternQuest will give me insight into more careers that deal directly with animals.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Photography Team.

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Although my main focus is in science, I also have an appreciation and passion for history and the theater. My family travels extensively both within the United States and internationally. In each place that we visit I am able to absorb the different cultural and historical aspects of the city by going to numerous museums and the theater. I see the theater as a center of ideas where I can learn about new points of view and philosophies, adding to my world perspective.

Also I am very active within my high school community. I am president of the California Scholars Federation, a club made up of good students performing community service and receiving scholarships. I am also involved in the Invisible Children Club, a club devoted to raising funds to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur, and the Seminar Club, another charity organization. In addition to these activities I am also involved in the Aaron Price Fellows, an organization made up of students from different socioeconomic groups in San Diego that is devoted to creating friendships, broadening our world perspective, showing the government’s relevance to people’s lives, and exposing us to career opportunities in San Diego.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Real World Team.

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