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, then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here!
My interest for wildlife and conservation began, oddly enough, in southern California, which is considered one of the most developed places in the United States. Never satisfied with domesticated animals my interest in wild animals began when I started watching the National Geographic channel, and reading as many books as I could get my hands on about wildlife. At the age of 5, I got to see the Amazon Rainforest while visiting family in Quito, Ecuador, South America. I was amazed to see what wildlife looked like up close and personal. After this experience, I later learned how much of the wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest became endangered due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. It was seeing animals become endangered that could easily be saved by someone with the proper training that drove me to want to become zoo veterinarian for exotic animals.
Some of my hobbies are riding and training horses, hiking the Palomar Mountains, surfing at Oceanside Harbor, snowboarding, and scuba diving. While I also have a passion for reading and writing, there is nothing better to keep me occupied than a new challenge and the excitement that comes with a new adventure; I could never sit still indoors if I wanted to. The San Diego Zoo InterQuest is another adventure awaiting me. I look forward to embarking on these next seven weeks that I’m sure I will remember for the rest of my life.
Devin
Winter Session 2015
