Imagine going to work every day and loving what you do. Spending every waking moment of your day surrounded by animals. Taking care of these animals and doing everything you can to make sure they are healthy and happy. This became a reality for me this summer.

My dream job has always been to work in a zoo and I was able to get a taste of that this summer. I applied to be a Conservation Intern at the Lehigh Valley Zoo for this summer and I was lucky enough to get the position. I am now working forty hours a week at the job of my dreams. Although I just started working there last week I have learned so much. Who knew that so much effort went into keeping animals alive and well. To most people cleaning up poop, cages and following the staff around is not a lot of fun, but to me it’s very enjoyable. I know that by doing these tasks I am learning so many new skills that I can use once I graduate college.

I have been able to be trained on just a few animals so far but eventually I will be trained on a lot more. Working at a zoo is an amazing experience because I am able to teach kids about the animals and ways they can help protect the animals. Although I am just an intern this summer I hope that maybe in the future I could possibly work for a zoo. I have been learning skills and facts about animals that I never knew before. I am able to apply these skills to help run education programs to teach kids about the different types of animals.

Working in a zoo is an amazing experience and I was very lucky to be able to get the internship I did. I'm living my dream even though I have to work forty hours a week with very minimal pay. I couldn't imagine my summer being any other way.