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, to learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!

MARYAM

Hi! My name is Maryam, and I’m a senior which I’m super excited for! I’m ecstatic to be a part of Zoo InternQuest; I can’t wait to meet various experts and learn more about their careers working in wildlife conservation! To tell you a little bit more about me, I love rowing, I’ve been doing it for 4 years now, it’s a lot of work but I enjoy the camaraderie of it and the feeling of being on the water every day. I’m an avid reader with my favorite genre being fantasy like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, I love classic books such as Pride and Prejudice, Swiss Family Robinson, Little Women (Part I only), The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and so many more. I have one adorable cat named Luka who loves to wake me up in the mornings. I love animals, but I got into my conservation journey slightly late around my freshman year of high school. To better improve my public speaking skills I joined the teen volunteer program at the San Diego Zoo called Zoo Corps. I learned a lot from interacting with others and expanding my knowledge so in addition to Zoo Corps I joined a similar program at the Safari Park called Conservation Corps. Both these programs are fantastic, and I definitely urge you to check them out. It’s a great way to learn more about our planet, improve public speaking skills, and it’s a blast! After my junior year, I had decided I wanted to have a career in something conservation related so I applied for Zoo InternQuest and was accepted! I’m super excited to learn more about different careers and meet experts in their respective fields!

GRACIE

I am a senior who plans to study ecology and evolutionary sciences in college. I  love exploring our planet and am passionate  about preserving the diversity of animals it contains. When I’m not studying for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, I can be found hiking, surfing, camping, or making jewelry with friends. I am the president of  my school’s eco-club and am involved  in environmental initiatives such as the “reduce the use of single-use plastics” campaign, research projects on the aerosols around Mission Bay, and the raising, tagging, and releasing of hatchery-reared White Seabass. I love to scuba dive and regularly participate  in citizen science surveys to identify and document the creatures I  see.  I am excited about the opportunity to participate in the San Diego Zoo InternQuest program and look forward to documenting and sharing my experiences.

HAYLEY

Hello! My name is Hayley and I am a high school senior. I have always loved animals and been a frequent visitor to the Safari Park with my family. My first animal passion was the polar bear and its unfortunate circumstances. I would tell my parents to turn off the lights so we could help reduce global warming. Since the COVID-19 quarantine, my family and I have become avid bird-watchers and use our backyard as an outdoor theater. We have done significant research on how to attract various bird species. In addition, we are contributing to crowd-sourced research by photographing our backyard friends. I am excited to be a part of this experience and hope to learn as much as I can about how we can help the animal world.

TULLY

Hi, my name is Tully, and I am a senior in high school. When I’m not surfing or skating, you can find me amongst the trees of Julian or the arid hills of Santee. I enjoy camping and exploring San Diego’s backroads on my motorcycle, but when I’m not out in the dirt, I enjoy reading and writing poetry. With college just around the corner, careers in marine sciences and philosophy are appealing. Having been practically raised at the Zoo, I have always been deeply interested in conservation as well as journalism. With the current issues that wildlife face around the globe, I feel that both fields are extremely important to the preservation of natural beauty for generations to come. Zoo InternQuest blends both of these interests, which is precisely what drew me towards the program. I am so excited to observe and learn from the best conservation experts in the world, and have the opportunity to share my experiences with others. Coming from the Zoo Corps volunteer program at the San Diego Zoo, I know I will learn a great deal in these next few months.

SEAN

Hi! I’m Sean, a senior in high school who enjoys surfing, playing volleyball, hiking, watching movies, and spending time with my friends and family! Growing up, my life has always centered around nature and animals, whether it be my pets (my two dogs and bearded dragon), going to the San Diego Zoo, watching nature documentaries, or visiting my grandparent’s farm. I applied to the Zoo InternQuest because I am fascinated by animals and love learning more about them. I am also extremely passionate about the environment and what we can do to help fix the declining state of ecosystems around the world. Because of this, I participate in a Beach Ocean Protection Program at my high school and I am applying to study ecology in college. Through Zoo InternQuest, I’m excited to have the opportunity to take steps towards my future goals by learning more about these subjects and getting a closer look at careers in wildlife and animal conservation!

SOPHIA

My name is Sophia, and I am a current senior in high school! I am extremely excited to participate in Zoo InternQuest where I can further develop my passion for wildlife conservation! When I was little, I would always visit the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park with my family. I would refuse to leave the Zoo  unless I saw my favorite animal at the time: the okapi. Those fascinating creatures always left me in awe, and now I have the wonderful opportunity to become a part of the Zoo’s mission to educate and inspire those who had that same captivation! Ever since I was six years old, I’ve visited dozens of National Parks with my family, which have developed my appreciation for nature and the outdoors. I’ve nurtured this appreciation through an environmental club called Green Team, in which other members and I discover better alternatives to wasteful methods both on and off campus. I take advantage of my free time by surfing and skating with my friends and hiking and camping with my family. I also enjoy spending my alone time upcycling and sewing used articles of clothing in my efforts of being more environmentally conscious. Once again, I can’t wait to see where this internship takes me!

NATE

Hello, my name is Nathan and I am a junior in high school. I applied for the Zoo InternQuest because wildlife is something that has always caught my eye. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to pursue a career like zoology or wildlife conservation, and Zoo InternQuest is something that can help me explore my goals. I’m extremely excited to get to go to the Zoo to expand my wildlife knowledge!

EMILY

Hi, my name is Emily and I’m a senior in high school. I’ve been looking forward to starting the Zoo InternQuest for over a year now. One of the main reasons I‘m so excited to start is because I’ll be able to learn about a couple different careers. At this point in my life, I’m unsure about my future and don’t know exactly what I want to do. I know I love learning about how the human body functions, but I thought I would apply to  this program to learn about other potential careers. I believe listening to different presenters talk about their careers will give me some insight into what I’m truly interested in. Lastly, I'm excited to meet new people and experience a lot of new things.

Fall Session