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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
This week, InternQuest traveled to the Bug House, located in the Discovery Outpost, to meet with two keepers in the Insect Department. Brandon Rowley and Ester Chang are two extraordinary keepers at the San Diego Zoo. Interns had the opportunity to go backstage and learn about unique creepy critters that inhabit our earth, and how both Mr. Rowley and Ms. Chang got their positions as insect keepers. Even though both are insect keepers, they took two completely different paths to reach the same destination.
In the insect department, there are eight keepers with a variety of backgrounds. Since he was very young, Mr. Rowley always knew he had a deep connection to nature and the outdoors, and because of this passion, it led him to pursue a career related to conserving our natural world. In order to achieve this goal, Mr. Rowley attended Cal Poly for his undergraduate degree and majored in Biology. Biology is a broad field of science that includes study from tiny atoms to immense biomes. Mr. Rowley did not just rely on his degree to land him a job though; he participated in multiple extracurricular activities. In college, Mr. Rowley was president of the Wildlife Club and wrote for the on-campus academic journal. During his time at the Wildlife Club, Mr. Rowley gained real life experience such as conducting necropsies, which is an animal autopsy, on multiple animals including a tiger. Outside of school, Mr. Rowley interned at Boeing and an NGO that researched and conserved monarch butterflies. His internship working with monarch butterflies was very eye opening, as he studied the behaviors between parasites and monarch butterflies for two years. Mr. Rowley’s next step in his career is to obtain his masters, in order to acquire a position in management or research. Mr. Rowley’s main advice for future zoo keepers is to never give up and to keep pushing through the lows and enjoy the highs. To get his foot into the door at the San Diego Zoo, he interned with the Education Department. Through his determination, he landed a job at the San Diego Zoo in the insect department where he met senior insect keeper, Ms. Chang.
Unlike Mr. Rowley, Ester Chang did not have a clear path going into college. Ms. Chang went to the University of California at Berkeley and earned an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a minor in Entomology. In college, she interned at many academic institutions. Additionally, Ms. Chang interned with the San Francisco Zoo’s insect department. This experience opened her eyes to the possibilities in the entomology field, which was exceptionally important in deciding her career path. She then worked with a variety of small friendly animals and insects at the Natural History Museum, giving her valuable hands-on experience. Ms. Chang also worked for a non-profit conservation organization that used insects in outreach programs to educate the public. To further her learning, Ms. Chang received a master's degree in Museum Studies. For nine years, Ms. Chang has worked in the insect department, and she believes that every year is just as rewarding as the last.
A normal day at the Insect House consists of a variety of tasks. Ms. Chang must be very observant as she checks on the insect's food, enclosures, and takes inventory of all insects. However, a main concern for both Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley are San Diego Zoo’s conservation efforts conserving native species to San Diego. In southern California, the quino checkerspot butterfly is on the verge of extinction and is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Through an extensive breeding and rearing program, the San Diego Zoo is hoping to release a number of quino checkerspot butterflies back into the wild. On any given day, Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley are caring for the eggs, larvae and adult butterflies in the butterfly conservation lab located on Zoo grounds. Their main concern is to see a healthy population here in San Diego County and across Southern California.
As mentioned by both Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley, working with insects every day is rewarding in and of itself. However, for both Mr. Rowley and Ms. Chang teaching the public about insects and their global influence is just as fulfilling. They love educating the public so that people can appreciate insects a little more.
Kristofer, Career Team
Week Two, Fall Session 2016
This week, InternQuest traveled to the Bug House, located in the Discovery Outpost, to meet with two keepers in the Insect Department. Brandon Rowley and Ester Chang are two extraordinary keepers at the San Diego Zoo. Interns had the opportunity to go backstage and learn about unique creepy critters that inhabit our earth, and how both Mr. Rowley and Ms. Chang got their positions as insect keepers. Even though both are insect keepers, they took two completely different paths to reach the same destination.
In the insect department, there are eight keepers with a variety of backgrounds. Since he was very young, Mr. Rowley always knew he had a deep connection to nature and the outdoors, and because of this passion, it led him to pursue a career related to conserving our natural world. In order to achieve this goal, Mr. Rowley attended Cal Poly for his undergraduate degree and majored in Biology. Biology is a broad field of science that includes study from tiny atoms to immense biomes. Mr. Rowley did not just rely on his degree to land him a job though; he participated in multiple extracurricular activities. In college, Mr. Rowley was president of the Wildlife Club and wrote for the on-campus academic journal. During his time at the Wildlife Club, Mr. Rowley gained real life experience such as conducting necropsies, which is an animal autopsy, on multiple animals including a tiger. Outside of school, Mr. Rowley interned at Boeing and an NGO that researched and conserved monarch butterflies. His internship working with monarch butterflies was very eye opening, as he studied the behaviors between parasites and monarch butterflies for two years. Mr. Rowley’s next step in his career is to obtain his masters, in order to acquire a position in management or research. Mr. Rowley’s main advice for future zoo keepers is to never give up and to keep pushing through the lows and enjoy the highs. To get his foot into the door at the San Diego Zoo, he interned with the Education Department. Through his determination, he landed a job at the San Diego Zoo in the insect department where he met senior insect keeper, Ms. Chang.
Unlike Mr. Rowley, Ester Chang did not have a clear path going into college. Ms. Chang went to the University of California at Berkeley and earned an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a minor in Entomology. In college, she interned at many academic institutions. Additionally, Ms. Chang interned with the San Francisco Zoo’s insect department. This experience opened her eyes to the possibilities in the entomology field, which was exceptionally important in deciding her career path. She then worked with a variety of small friendly animals and insects at the Natural History Museum, giving her valuable hands-on experience. Ms. Chang also worked for a non-profit conservation organization that used insects in outreach programs to educate the public. To further her learning, Ms. Chang received a master's degree in Museum Studies. For nine years, Ms. Chang has worked in the insect department, and she believes that every year is just as rewarding as the last.
A normal day at the Insect House consists of a variety of tasks. Ms. Chang must be very observant as she checks on the insect's food, enclosures, and takes inventory of all insects. However, a main concern for both Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley are San Diego Zoo’s conservation efforts conserving native species to San Diego. In southern California, the quino checkerspot butterfly is on the verge of extinction and is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Through an extensive breeding and rearing program, the San Diego Zoo is hoping to release a number of quino checkerspot butterflies back into the wild. On any given day, Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley are caring for the eggs, larvae and adult butterflies in the butterfly conservation lab located on Zoo grounds. Their main concern is to see a healthy population here in San Diego County and across Southern California.
As mentioned by both Ms. Chang and Mr. Rowley, working with insects every day is rewarding in and of itself. However, for both Mr. Rowley and Ms. Chang teaching the public about insects and their global influence is just as fulfilling. They love educating the public so that people can appreciate insects a little more.
Kristofer, Career Team
Week Two, Fall Session 2016
