Not unlike my fellow interns, I loved animals as a kid. My unique opportunity to live near such a large Zoo fostered this interest. Over the years, I've forced my family to stay and listen to keeper talks because I wanted to learn as much as I could about animals. However, my interest in pursuing a career relating to animals didn’t develop until recently. Volunteering with cats at an animal shelter and watching science videos in my free time grew my passion into something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Over the past few years, I’ve also found an interest in working in a lab. I’d like to conduct research, examine slides under a microscope, interpret data, or micropipet samples in my future career. Some specific areas that interest me are conservation genetics and reproductive endocrinology. Through this internship, I hope to discover what specific career paths I might want to pursue.

While I love science and animals, I also have some other interests. The activity that takes up most of my time is technical theatre. I began constructing sets but soon moved on to the sound department. There I learned a lot about designing sound, running the sound board, and all the tricks of the trade. I also like to garden because of my love for plants and analyzing their unique characteristics. Another outdoorsy activity I enjoy is hiking and backpacking. I always love the breathtaking views, but I also can’t help myself from examining which plant species live where and how the types of plants change as you change altitudes or move closer or further from water. I love discovering why and how things work and hope that you’ll learn with me during this InternQuest.