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

Keira

Hi everyone! My name is Keira and I'm a senior in high school. I decided to apply to InternQuest because I have an immense passion and love for animals that I already plan to work towards once I graduate college. My goal is to have a meaningful career in wildlife conservation and make significant headway into research and environmental awareness. My dream is to work hands-on with African painted dogs and to work on open plains conservations in South Africa. From this internship I hope to discover a specific career that I will love and enjoy, that will feed my passion and love for animals while contributing to the world. I do also have a special interest in entomology and arachnids. I hope to minor or even double major in college in wildlife biology and entomology. I am excited to participate in the InternQuest program at the San Diego Zoo!

Regina

I am a senior in high school and I am so excited to be an intern at the San Diego Zoo! I love traveling and always being surrounded by nature. I have always been passionate about wildlife and conservation so therefore I plan to pursue a major in that field. Having this opportunity is an amazing way to explore different careers and learn more about them! I have been involved with protecting wildlife for as long as I can remember with little actions such as donating to wildlife sanctuaries and signing petitions. I am also part of the Green Team leadership and Endangered Species Club at my school. Being part of the San Diego Zoo in any way has always been my dream since I was little, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true!

Alyssa

Hello all! My name is Alyssa and I use she/they pronouns. I am currently in my final year of high school which seems unreal and unbelievable to me. Throughout my time in the last four years, I have grown as an individual and furthered my love for my interests and passions. One of those interests is my love for the environment and the wild species that thrives amongst it. Imagining a healthy world where biodiversity flourishes sounds like the perfect utopia. Ever since I was young, my eyes wandered to that of the natural world we lived in. As a nine year old girl in Yellowstone, the beauty of the national park took a hold of me and it was on that trip that I made a promise. I vowed to the animals, to the beings that shared the planet with me, to whom I gave my heart to, that I would protect their habitats for future generations. I pledged an oath to spread the word of what I had learned about conservation and the various ways to help keep animals stable for the years to come. To this day, that promise holds true to my heart and while I have not been able to work directly with wild animals in their habitats, I have been restoring and protecting their future by being a youth environmental activist. Over the past year, my goal to preserve this beautiful world has occurred through a multitude of events- I’ve ran three summer camps to teach other youth about climate change, climate resilience, and other negative impacts humans have on the environment. I have interned at SanDiego350 and Youth4Climate, working with other youth to advocate, educate, and inspire. I help lead my own organization entitled Plastic Free Gen Z to help others learn of the plastic pollution crisis. All these small steps in my environmental work make me motivated and confident for when in the future I am working to protect and preserve wildlife species. I have always been rather interested in the endangered species of Indonesia such as the Sumatran tiger and the Javan rhinoceros, as the country seems to be filled with animals that need help from us. I am so excited to continue my journey with the Zoo Internquest and learn about all the different fields dealing with wildlife, especially wildlife biology and conservation.

Lelah

Hi I'm 17 years old and a senior in high school. As I trudge through my last year in high school I have come to the realization that I need to get some things in order such as a career path. Ever since I was introduced to the Zoo Corps program, my fascination with animals only grew. My recent interest has been in animal adaptations. I find it astounding the things animals will do to adapt and live comfortably in their environment. However, animals cannot keep adapting to the change we force upon them with our innovations. There is a point where they can do no more. This brings me to my view on climate change. What frustrates me the most is even the small steps to halt climate change are so simple yet many still refuse to do them. I hope to learn more on what I can do to educate others. This is why I applied, to talk to people in the field and learn from them on what we can do to help. I view this as a wonderful opportunity to educate myself and learn what career I would like.

Victoria

Hello! My name is Victoria and I am a senior in high school. Along with my interest in animals, I am in FFA where I raise and breed rabbits and pigs and I am on my school's swim team. I applied to this internship because of my interest in veterinary medicine but over the past year I have also become really interested in animal behavior and training. I am most excited about getting to see exotic animals that I have never worked with before and to meet many professional zoologists. 

Fall Session 2021