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!
Hi! My name is Emily, and I feel so fortunate to be able to intern with the San Diego Zoo.
Growing up in Escondido with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park so close to my house, I have been able to experience all that it has to offer on a regular basis. The Safari Park has inspired in me a great love of animals and an immense respect for nature. My parents recognized this at an early age and fostered my affinity for living things with aquarium visits, hikes, whale watching trips, and visits to places like Yellowstone, Zion, and Biscayne National Park.
Additionally, I take full advantage of San Diego’s beaches, mountains, and most importantly, the weather. After school and on the weekends, you can find me playing beach volleyball, swimming, hiking, rock climbing, and surfing. I also plan on getting S.C.U.B.A certified this summer. I love going out to La Jolla coves, and being able to explore underwater with my own oxygen tank would make it that much cooler. Being involved in outdoor sports and hobbies has inspired me to work towards conserving our natural wonders, so that future generations can enjoy them just as much as I have.
When I’m not studying or at the beach, I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the City of Escondido. I’m also involved in several clubs at San Pasqual High School, volunteer at church, play piano and ukulele, and coach a junior high volleyball team (Go Knights!).
I firmly believe that the best way to preserve the wonderful world around us is to not only educate others, but also to instill a passionate love for life and all its complexities in young people. Having realized that I am incredibly blessed to live in San Diego, with all of its different habitats, I plan on studying evolutionary biology and environmental science in college focusing specifically on endangered species and their preservation.
Emily
InternQuest, Winter 2015
