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 on the Zoo’s website!
Hello! My name is Chloe, and I’m currently starting the second semester of my junior year of high school. I still cannot believe how incredibly lucky I am to have been given the opportunity to be included in this year’s Zoo InternQuest program. What could possibly top an internship that allows me to learn from professionals working at the Zoo? Nothing!
If I were to describe myself with one word, it would be outgoing. I am up for anything and everything. I’m the person you’d catch singing karaoke on a packed cruise ship, and the girl you’d find introducing herself to anyone and everyone. I love swimming in the ocean, traveling around the world, eating lots of Taco Bell, going to concerts, and most of all, animals. I keep myself active and busy through playing field hockey and lacrosse year round, as well as, walking my dachshund, Zoe, down the street to Dog Beach in Del Mar. I attempted to teach my cat Jinx how to walk with a harness and leash, but he wasn’t exactly up for the task…
Growing up, my family immersed my brother and I with a variety of different animals. Over the course of sixteen years, we have housed frogs, fish, hamsters, lizards, turtles, dogs, and my personal favorite, cats. Our family friend rescues cats for a living, so I’ve been able to help nurse fifty plus kittens living at her home. Admittedly, it was also my goal to persuade my parents into adopting all of them. My success rate of convincing was slim, but adopting one kitten was better than none! Also, I am lucky enough to live close to a tiger rehabilitation refuge called “Lions, Tigers, and Bears”, so my mom would take my friends and I to see the big cats quite often. At such a young age, this exposure immediately sparked my interest in animals, which developed into a strong passion I hope to pursue in the future.
Chloe
Winter Session, 2017
