Headline: Zoo Program Graduates turn Internships into Job Opportunities

Synopsis: After graduating its first class of Zoo and Conservation Science students,
the Zoo program can claim several successful alums, with a special thanks to
internships throughout their collegiate career.
Inside: Otterbein Zoo Grads Acquire Unique Jobs

By Courtney Kilmer 16
Every student worries about finding a job after graduation and many utilize
internships to get experience in what they might want to do in the future. Students
in the Zoo and Conservation Science Program at Otterbein are taking advantage of
internship opportunities in order to broaden their horizons and figure out which area
of zoo and conservation science they want to pursue.
The zoo program, housed in the Department of Biology and Earth Science, is
starting its fifth year at Otterbein and has approximately 120 students, half of which
are pre-zoo majors. This past May, the first class of zoo students graduated from
Otterbein. Of the 17 graduates, five of them got jobs that came about because of
past internships they had held.
Anna Young, chair of the Zoo and Conservation Science program, said that all
students are encouraged to start participating in internships as soon as possible.
We encourage students to start with internships as soon as they can. We have had
first-year students do an internship before their sophomore year, but we tend to
really encourage students between sophomore and junior year, or junior year and
senior year, to get experience, said Young.
Previous students have taken internships that have sent them around the world.
According to Young, the program has had interns go to The Wilds at the Columbus
Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, the Dallas Zoo, the Toledo Zoo, Reid Park Zoo in Arizona
and White Oak Conservation in Florida. Students who have studied abroad for their
internships have gone to the Belize Zoo, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda
Breeding, South Africa to do work with wild Cape parrots, and Australia to intern at
the Perth Zoo.
One alumni, Matt Vieth 16, graduated in May and now works as an elephant keeper
at Reid Park Zoo. He interned there for two summers before being hired on. Through
his experiences in his internship, he realized that working with elephants was
exactly what he wanted to do.
Jill Keefer 16 is currently working at Nationwide Childrens hospital as a research
animal technician. The design of the Zoo and Conservation Science program is what
originally appealed to Keefer.
I think thats what really great about Professor Young making the major how it is.
Everybody gets a bit of a taste of the different parts that go along with it. Ive had

my time doing zoo keeping, doing research, and working with the public. It was just
figuring out what I like best and what Im the best at, said Keefer.
Internships can be a great advantage for students looking for jobs after graduation.
The experience gained is invaluable for any future career, no matter the major.

For more information on available internships, contact the Center for Career and
Professional Development.
Learn more about the Zoo and Conservation Science Department.