Zoo InternQuest

When choosing careers, most children are trivial with their interests. They switch from career to career like bees to flowers- but not me. Ever since I was six, I’ve known that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I would watch Emergency Vets on Animal Planet and I swear to you, my devotion to that show was almost religious. I always imagined myself being one of those vets, saving the life of a helpless animal.

Of course, by the time I was in middle school, I realized that just because it was a childhood fantasy it didn’t necessarily mean that being a vet would be the right career choice for me. So, like any responsible teenager, I looked into volunteering opportunities that would help me figure out if that’s what I truly wanted to do. Thanks to the modern miracle that is the Internet, I found out about Zoo Corps.

After that, I just knew. I volunteered with Zoo Corps for four years- possibly the most important years of my life so far. Zoo Corps has helped shape me as a person and clarified my vision for the future. Now I can happily say, “My name is Regina and I want to attend the University of California, Davis next fall because I want to be a vet.” Despite having firm beliefs for my future, I am still a regular teen. Although I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, I will always favor The Beatles above all else. Other than school, my weekdays are usually spent going between Academic League/Decathlon practice and Drama meetings. What little time I have left over, I spend with my friends and family.

I am representing the Photography Team.

Backpacking through New Mexico, bouldering in Joshua Tree, canoeing down the Colorado River, and hiking Mt. Whitney…..sounds like a great time to me! I’m Madolyn, a junior from San Diego, and I love camping, being in nature, going to the Zoo, and learning about animals. I’m in charge of planning community service and fundraising events for my girl scout troop, I go to high adventure camps with my venture crew, and teach people about the Zoo’s conservation efforts in Zoo Corps.

Though my parents are divorced, my family ties are strong, especially on my dad’s side. We have funny New Englander habits, like having tea whenever we go to Grandma’s house, and eating sharp cheddar cheese with our pie. My family is big on cats; and we currently have three, two at my dad’s house and one at my mom’s. In addition to the cats, I have assorted fish and shrimp, one rat, and two little sisters.

I love learning about animals, and plan on studying biology or environmental science at a west coast school. I would love to be a field biologist, and discovered this love at an early age. I would ask my older family members to read field guides to me, and even wrote down observations while watching a spider eat an ant.

I am representing the Real World Team.

Greetings, I am Kate. I am a science and animal lover. Ever since I was little I have always been fascinated with animals and science. In science class, I am always captivated by the lessons of how the world works around us.

Just like in science class, I am always ecstatic to visit the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. I get the feeling of learning and having fun watching animals and getting to see some natural behaviors.

When I was in seventh grade, my science teacher recommended me fora a science program known as “BE WiSE” (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering). My first session with BE WiSE was an overnight at the CRES center (the research arm of the San Diego Zoo). It was an amazing and fun-filled evening, where a series of speakers and hands-on activities taught us about behavioral biology, conservation research, and molecular and cytogenetics. I have since attended many different sessions with the BE WiSE program and am learning all that I can about science!

I am representing the Conservation Team.

Hi everyone, my name is Stephen and I am a senior in high school. One of the main focuses of my life has always been animals. Ever since I learned to walk I have been absolutely enamored with every animal I have ever met. Nowadays I’m mostly interested in birds and mammals, particularly canines. In my house we have two dogs, a cat, two parrots and a leopard gecko. Both dogs, one of the parrots, and the gecko are my responsibility and I love them all very much. One of my favorite pastimes is taking my dogs out for long walks up one of the mountains near my house. Animals play such an important role in my life that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live without them.
My devotion to the animal kingdom has led me to pursue the possibility of a career with animals. To assist me in this pursuit I joined the Conservation Corps at the Wild Animal Park last year and plan to continue with the program until I graduate this June. I have gained an incredible appreciation for the environment and wildlife conservation because of my involvement with the Corps. I have tremendous confidence that my experiences through the Zoo and Wild Animal Park will help point me in the right direction for the future.

I am representing the Careers Team.

Hi, my name is Wendy. As a student of biology and an avid supporter of conservation, I am so excited to be able to expand my knowledge here at the Zoo. I can’t wait to share my experiences with anyone who reads this blog! I am 16 years old, and a junior in high school. My brother, my parents and I together make up the crazy family we are. I love to spend my free time shopping, training my dog Buddy, reading my favorite book of all time, Genetics for Dummies, and (what else?) go to the San Diego Zoo, of course! I enjoy making new friends, and am always eager to learn some new tidbit about almost anything! I work on vintage SAAB cars with my dad, and also build computers occasionally. Volunteering part time at the Helen Woodward Animal Center is one of my favorite weekend activities, and I love animals of any shape and size. I hope to become a conservation biologist someday, to do my part in protecting endangered species around the world.

I am representing the Conservation Team.

I’m Claire, a native of San Diego, where I live with my father and younger sister. I’m currently a junior in high school, balancing work and play, school and family. My love of nature runs deep into my childhood, delighted by lizards sunning themselves in the yard, and pill bugs that quickly curled up into balls upon touching them. I am fascinated by the natural world, and the intricate inner workings that tie it all together, the science behind the beauty. In my spare time I enjoy bird watching, drawing, painting, gardening, and delving into the microscopic microcosms of just about anything I can get my hands on with my light microscope.

I am representing the Careers Team.

My name is Eric and life as a senior in high school has really started to kick in. I’ve been looking into colleges, applying for scholarships, preparing my senior portfolio, and working almost 30 hours a week on top of it all. It doesn’t give me much time to hang out with friends, which is something that I like to do. My friends and I like to explore the canyon, go to parks and swimming pools, and laugh about all kinds of random things. I love spending time with my mom but even that is hard to do with all of the stuff that I have on my plate. In the end though, I know it’s all worth it and I’ll have plenty of time to spend with my mom and friends later.

I am representing the Real World Team.

Michele Gaffney, a Wild Animal Park field keeper, tells the Zoo InternQuest interns about her day on the job as they drive through the Heart of Africa in a field keeper truck.

Dana, a member of the InternQuest careers team, feeds Indian rhinos their favorite snack: big, crunchy apples!

A giraffe munches on a tasty acacia leaf fed to it out of the back of the keeper truck by the Zoo interns. This is not the luxury Photo Caravan tour; we were sitting on straw bales!

At the San Diego Zoo, a red-crowned crane was one of the many resplendent birds that the Zoo InternQuest interns interacted with on our tour de birds.

Kristi Bruce explains how the birds at the African Bird Pond are trained to get their food at a certain place. This is for their safety and to keep the wild birds that hang around from getting the food of the birds that actually belong in the exhibit.

Amelia Suarez picks up a giant stick whose height in the air confuses and startles the wild, native birds that are not part of the Zoo’s collection. No birds are harmed with the giant stick!

This friendly bowerbird in Owen’s Rain Forest Aviary curiously examines the Zoo InternQuest interns as the group offers meal worms to it.

A male Argus pheasant joins the interns as they learn about all different types of Asian birds!

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Coating our hands in sticky, thick saliva, the giraffes snatched our acacia leaves excitedly and even nibbled on the haystack seats of the keeper truck. There was energy in the air, something magical about interacting with such a large and elegant animal. At the climax of this exotic trance, I heard a loud “rrrip”, almost at the awkward level of a rip in the pants! All of our heads flashed towards the origin of the sound: who would be the victim of such embarrassment? To our surprise we caught a giraffe sneaking a taste at my blog notes!

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Lasts are always a drag; it usually means the end of something great. Although we will all miss this session of Zoo InternQuest, our last day was great. We spent it with Kristi Bruce, one of the bird keepers at the Zoo. Ms. Bruce, a native of Santa Barbara, has traveled to bigger and better places where she gained a load of experience towards her career.