My Name is Zoocas

Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration for San Diego County high school for juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, or Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here!

lucasHi! My name’s Lucas and I am extremely excited to create my San Diego Zoo blog with InternQuest. Animals were my very first love and that passion has not diminished as the years have passed. I have been going to the San Diego Zoo for years and am ecstatic that I have finally infiltrated the awesome organization. As a senior in high school, I really look forward to the learning experiences at the San Diego Zoo because it will give me insight into what my future in zoology might entail.

Although I want to keep all my options open in the field of zoology, I am particularly interested in behavior and training as that requires the most intimate relationship with the animals. Both behavioral research and animal training demand the most up close and personal interactions with animals in order to study existing behaviors or implement new ones. My previous relationships with animals have been restricted to domesticated species, like my cat, guinea pig, and rats (RIP Socia and Carmen), but I hope that the diversity of animals I will be able to learn from and connect with will increase as I delve further towards a zoological career. Within the field, I have also discovered an interest in physiology and anatomy, which if I pursue in college, might lead me down the veterinary path of animal science in addition to husbandry and ethology.

Besides my academic intrigue in animal science, I have also developed a passion for performing, specifically acting. Most of my extracurricular time is spent at my school’s theatre, and in addition to plays and musicals, I have participated in our choir and dance programs. I am the Vice President of our school’s Theatre Company, a Co-Captain of the Improv Team, and the President of the Fashion Club. Considering my obsession with the performing arts and zoology, my dream job would be some kind of career that combines or at least provides time to balance the two. The jobs I see myself being the most fulfilled at are the ones that encompass both my passions like being a zoo performer, a zoo educator, or maybe the next Jeff Corwin.

Throughout this internship, I aim to not only experience and learn as much as possible, but also to convey that knowledge to the public via this blog. I am excited to be able to promote a love and respect for animals as well as advocate the conservation that is so vital in protecting the world’s diversity of life.

Lucas
InternQuest, Winter 2015