Kayvon Mostofi

As an animal care intern, I helped out the keepers and learned what they do. I helped prepare enrichment, cleaned night houses, exhibits, and dishes, helped feed animals, and helped out with most other keeper responsibilities. I also learned how to take care of animals and conservation of the animals. I also learned with hands-on experience how to see the well-being of different animals.

From January 6th through the 13th I did a study abroad program with dolphins down in Roatan, Honduras. I learned how to do data collection using the dolphins at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences. I learned from the trainers of the dolphins about how they feed and train the dolphins. I worked with the dolphins every day of the program.

The camp had three week-long sessions with kid campers. It was an outdoor camp. So we sleep under the stars, do activities outside, and go on backpacking overnights. I was the nature leader, Where I taught the kids about the flora and fauna of the area, mainly the fauna because I am studying zoology as a major. I was a counselor for the other two sessions. The camp also has Family camps, Where families and or groups of people can come up for the weekend and go camping, where we serve food, lead activities, and make sure the campers have a great weekend outdoors. It is only a Summer camp so I was only employed during the summer but I did it for two summers. I was not a nature leader the first summer I did the job but I was a maintenance/relief counselor where I helped with the day-to-day maintenance of the camp and when it was the counselor's 4-hour, once-a-session, break time, filled in for them.

This was only a summer job where I was employed during the summers of 2019, 2020, and 2021. I taught kids how to swim or how to get better at swimming from 3-year-olds and up. I also lifeguarded the pool while people lapped swim and lessons where going on.