I've always been an animal lover. I grew up with multiple cats and dogs, both in my immediate family and owned by aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandmother. At every family reunion, you could trust I'd find whatever pet was around and play with them before even talking to all my relatives. In fact, one of my dreams as a kid was to be a zookeeper or professional trainer.

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     My first experience working with exotic animals came in the form of a summer research trip through the Broadreach Foundation, where I traveled to Costa Rica to work with the Sea Turtle Conservancy and take a crash course in marine mammal biology at the Drake Bay Resort. We spent a month studying, researching, and conducting field research on primarily green sea turtles at the number one nesting beach in the world, Tortuguero in Costa Rica.

 

     My next step into the animal care world came from a life support systems internship at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas & Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, LA, where I experienced first-hand how fun and challenging it is to take care of multiple exotic animals in multiple exhibits. Every day I would assess the living conditions (water chemistry, algae buildup, temperature, animal health, etc) of multiple species living in the Geaux Fish and Amazon galleries. During my internship, I also spent time at the Audobon Zoo as an assistant keeper in the Asian Domain gallery. 

 

     When my time in New Orleans came to an end, I headed out west to seek my fortune in sunny San Diego, home of both one of the best zoos in the world and the humble beginnings of SeaWorld. I struck proverbial gold when I fished up an associate trainer position. I learned how to prepare animal diets and medications, hosted the Dolphin Days marine show in front of 3000 people, and dove deep into the psychology of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training. Best of all, I got to know each animal's personality, understand their physical and behavioral differences, and had the most fun co-workers I've ever worked with! (The other trainers were pretty cool too.) When my seasonal position ended, I already knew I would be back and I accepted the position of Zoological Assistant in May of 2019. I loved my work and educating people about these amazing animals and how to help care for this incredible world we share with so many fascinating creatures. I had finally found peace and harmony in my life. Then, everything changed when the Coronavirus attacked.