Sustainability@Hamline

Rachel Mazac: Summer 2014

Education Intern at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

Internship Reflection

Polar Bears’ fur and fat layers are so efficient at insulating the bear that in an infrared heat sensing camera, the only heat that can be detected is the bear’s exhaling breath.  This is just one of the countless amazing facts that I have learned about all of the different animals at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory.  I have had an extremely educational and enjoyable time as an Education Intern at the Zoo the past three months.  I have grown professionally and personally in my time as an intern and I have made countless connections and acquaintances that will aid me for years to come.  There was no better way to spend the summer than helping others learn and grow, I was also able to do the same myself.  I worked closely with the campers that came to Camp Como and all of the Education staff to make the summer programs the best that they could be.  My work also included projects that gave me creative control to invigorate and improve the programming of classes and camps at the zoo.  I also moderated talks for public education and even gave a presentation that I wrote with information researched on Polar Bears.  I was given opportunities that I will hold with me through the rest of my personal and professional life as priceless and valuable. 

As a place to have an internship, I would highly recommend the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Education Department.  I worked very closely with many wonderful educators at the zoo and I know that I learned many valuable attributes from them.  I had the goal to come in and learn what it is like to work in a professional and educational setting and I feel that I got a good taste of that in this experience.  I realized that working in a setting with other people with different backgrounds and varying years of experience so much can be learned.  I spent time working next to and talking to the workers at the zoo with all different levels of experience and I used that opportunity to learn how they got to where they are professionally.  I asked about the paths that they took to get to where they are and what it took for training and education. This has helped me to think about my future and what direction I will want to take and what I will need to do to get there.  I also feel that I understand that it takes more than hard work and dedication to work in and do well in the professional environment.  It also takes flexibility and understanding.  Flexibility is something that I had to learn quickly as plans change rapidly at a zoo.  I would be on my way to do one project and thinking about all that I needed to do to get that project done, when someone would stop me with an urgent project to get done for that day or the next.  I could not say no and not get that done, I had to go with the flow and do what was needed of me at the time.  It was a lesson that I think was extremely valuable and I have used it daily since learning that skill.  Also, understanding of the way that the zoo worked and how to work independently was critical.  Once I had gotten in the groove of working there I was able to anticipate the needs of others and get it done before it was even asked of me.  I felt secure and empowered in my role as an effective and adept intern. 

One of my favorite projects that I worked on was a Project Passport with another intern.  We were put in charge of planning one of the weekly Project Passports that are held at the zoo every Thursday of the summer.  Like the zoo, this is a free program and it is aimed at children in second to fifth grades.  This Project Passport was named because it gives the visitors a “passport” to a themed set of stations that are fun and educational.  Each week has a different theme and comes with four to five stations with a craft, games, and activities all educational and interactive.  We were given the theme “Harvest Party” and worked for over a month to bring together a curriculum for this Project Passport.  I spearheaded a scavenger hunt in the Edible Garden that was aimed at education around plants that are in the late summer harvest season and what it means to be “ripe.” I used a Minnesota Department of Agriculture chart that outlined the planting, growing, and harvesting seasons for many common crops in the area.  I also put together a small, mock farmers’ market where the visiting kids could go around and find the produce on a shopping list for a real recipe that I gave to them at the end of the program.  Through this interactive shopping experience, I championed shopping in-season produce and locally sourced items at neighborhood farmers’ markets.  I also was in charge of coordinating a “What are we eating?” activity where I took the opportunity to educate visitors on what the different types of commonly mistaken fruits are for vegetables.  I really enjoyed planning and executing this program and I feel that this was an invaluable learning experience for me.  I was put in charge as the supervisor of five volunteers and had to teach them how to teach and interact with the visitors at each of the stations.  As the site manager for that Project Passport I gained organizational skills, an idea of what goes into a large project that is done collaboratively with others, and the knowledge of how to lead an event with multiple others looking to you for guidance.  I am really glad that I got to plan a Project Passport from scratch and see how starting a project from the ground and building up really works.   

Overall, I gained hours of experience in the field of public education and I feel that this is at least in the right direction for me to be moving.  I really enjoyed the educational interaction with the visitors and campers that I worked with and how I was able to get others excited about learning and growing.  It was extremely rewarding to see the realization and fascination on the faces of the kids in the camp and visitors to the zoo after a lesson or a demonstration.  I also learned about how well taken care of and managed the animals at the zoo are.  I know that it is priceless for the Twin Cities and surrounding area to have such an amazing free zoo in the area.  Como does so much more than just house animals.  They are also leaders in conservation efforts, most notably cell phone, small electronic, and ink cartridge recycling.  This all goes to help protect animals and habitats in the wild like the endangered orangutans and their homes.  Enrichment is also a daily installment in almost every animal’s life at Como.  This is any natural or non-natural object or interaction with the animal that stimulates them in ways that may provide exercise, a challenge, or mental stimulation for the animal.  This includes training, which happens every day for animals at the zoo to keeps them in shape and to help enrich their lives. Como Zoo and Conservatory also is a top educational presence in the area offering endless camps, classes, and off-site programs that work toward inspiring the public to value the presence of living things in their lives.  I know that I will value the presence of this opportunity to intern at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in my life.

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