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!
Hello! My name is Cole, and I am a junior in high school. At school, I enjoy challenging myself with difficult honors and AP classes as well as spending time with my friends and contributing my high school’s community. By the end of this school year, I will have completed a total of seven AP courses and five honors classes, each of which has taught me valuable lessons in a very broad range of subjects. I also volunteer my time at blood drives and other events for the Red Cross Club as well as the Second Chance Dog Rescue on weekends.
From a very young age, I have been fascinated with animals and how they behave. Having previously lived on the east coast, my family was a long-time volunteer for the Southeast German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue where we helped to foster and adopt out over ten dogs to loving families. This experience, along with always having dogs of my own, has inspired me to pursue a career in veterinary science and maybe even one day run my own veterinary clinic.
Coming from a large family, I have three brothers, meaning that my house is never quiet. As a family, we have always enjoyed traveling together and making long lasting memories. Having become a tradition, instead of receiving a ton of gifts for Christmas, my family instead decides on a new location to travel to and discover together. These trips have taken me to countless zoos and aquariums across the country, and have only fueled my passion for animals and conservation.
Some of the most rewarding experiences of my life have been taking courses such as AP Biology as well as AP Environmental Science where I have learned how organisms live as well as how they can be conserved. I believe that conserving the planet’s biodiversity is one of the most important tasks facing humanity today, and that we should all be part of the movement to preserve the world’s natural habitats.
Being well known as one of the world’s leaders in conservation research, San Diego Zoo Global makes conservation their top priority, and they strive to educate the public of their efforts. I greatly look forward to helping the San Diego Zoo continue to spread this message as well as pursuing my own future career in veterinary science through InternQuest. I hope you continue to read the blogs that myself and the other interns write, and come along with us on this amazing and life-changing journey!
Cole
Winter Session, 2019
