What do you do at the Brandywine Zoo?
    I am in charge of the Education Department at the Zoo. I am responsible for the educational programs. That includes: special events, the docent and volunteer programs, ZooCamp, teacher inservice programs and workshops, school tours, guided tours, Traveling Zoo, Summer Discovery Days, and Close Encounter programs. I also help write and edit "Zoo News" which is published by the Delaware Zoological Society.

When did you start?
        February 1996

How did you get this job?
    I went to college and majored in biology and minored in oceanography and chemistry. I wanted to be a marine biologist. I took a job using my education. It required me to teach children. I learned that I loved teaching science to children, so I went back to school and got my master's degree in education. I was hired for this job because of my education, my skills and talents as a teacher, my experience with animals, my sense of humor, and my good people skills.

What do you like about your job?
    I love organizing and arranging the educational programs and all the fun things to do at the zoo, not only for kids, but also for the adults.

What don’t you like about your job?
    At times, it just gets too busy.

What are some challenges of your job?
    The challenging part of my job is also what causes me to love it. The Brandywine Zoo is a small zoo, and I get to do a variety of things in my department. While I love that I get to do so many different kinds of things and I never get bored, it is also sometimes hard to keep track of what everyone is doing during the busy time and making sure that every possible consideration for the success of our programs has been thought out and put into action.

What was the coolest thing that happened on your job?
    It is cool to work with animals and people at the same time.

Is your job hard?
    It gets hard at times, but it is so much fun, it does not matter. I love my job.

What are some requirements to get a job like yours?
    A good education, a love for teaching, and a love for the environment.

 Do you think you will work at the zoo for years to come ?
      Yes. I love my job and I plan to stay.

What about your job makes it special?
         The Brandywine Zoo is the only zoo in Delaware, and I am the only one in Delaware who does what I do.

What animals do you work with?
      I work with porcupines, hedge hogs, snakes, bearded dragons, rabbits, chinchillas, ferrets, millipedes, turtles, and macaws - to name a few!

 Do you like working with animals?
        Of course! If I didn't why would I work at a zoo?

What is your favorite animal at the zoo?
        I like the tigers.

What is your favorite animal not at the zoo?
    My dog Gidget! She's a great companion to me and my daughter, Beren.

at work at "Boo at the Zoo"

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