So I am starting my life...I have accepted an internship in Dallas, Texas and I depart Sept 7th. I am so nervous about this trip because I can honestly say that I have never truly been on my own. So this is a brand new adventure for me and I can't wait to start it. In the past year so much has happened to get me where I am today. All though a lot of it was very hard for me, i feel that I have pulled through this with a new confidence in myself. I have gained new friends and discover new romances that mean the world to me. My goal for this blog is to give my mind a break from all the thoughts flowing through me as well introduce the new me to the world.
As of a couple weeks ago my internship in Dallas, Texas didn't exist. My supervisor at the Virginia Aquarium suggested to me to look in to this company called Natural Encounters Inc. when I express my passion for animal training. So as soon as I got home I looked up the company and wrote an e-mail to Steve Martin himself (Not the actor lol). Here is a copy of the letter that I sent him. I have took out last names of some people mentioned just to be safe.
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Attn: Steve Martin:
My Name is Katherine Christine Byers. I am 24 years old and will be graduating from Old Dominion University in August with my undergraduate degree in Biology and minor in Oceanography. Currently I am doing an internship at the Virginia Aquarium working with the animal ambassadors. My supervisor is Carol Ann C. and she is the Conservation Education Specialist there. She is also the one that suggested to me to contact you about doing an internship or even employment. As an Intern, I have been working closely with Carol Ann learning everything that I can about animal handling and training. So far I have been participating in training session with turkey vultures, sugar gliders, and a cockatoo. These session consisted of cues like asking for a vocal response, movement towards a particular position, and asking for a body part. I have also been taught how to observe an animal and it's behavior that way I can understand their behavior and how they are feeling during the session.
I love the fact that animal training is kind of like a foreign language between myself and the animal. Using this language allows me to communicate with them by giving familiar cues. Most of the time the animal completely understands what I am asking by following through on the behavior .In addition, I also enjoy bridging the animal and letting them know that the action they just performed was done correctly and that I am so proud of them. I can't explain the feeling that I get when I give a brand new cue and the animal performs it. But I have also learned that patience is very important and it's takes time to build the animals trust. The whole process to me is just completely amazing and it drives me to learn as much as I can about it.
After learning everything that I have thus far about training, I have begun working with my personal animals at home. I can see a huge behavioral change in my own dog, making things so much easy around the house and its great! She seems to be loving the extra attention and the reinforcements seem to be a plus as well.
During my time at the aquarium I have become even more passionate about animal training and how beneficial it can be when working with animals. I would love to continue this as a career and I would love to learn from the best. It would mean the world to me if I could work with you and learn even more about animal training. I am willing to give 110% and would thrive completing any challenges you would give me. I am outgoing and love animals so I believe this career path is perfect for me.
Currently I reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia but I am willing to relocate for any position. I am officially done with my last class on August 13th. So if you decide to give me a chance to prove that this career choice is perfect for me and my dreams then I can leave right after my final that day. I really do want this and it would mean the world to me to have this opportunity. I encourage you to call my supervisor and ask her about me. She actually went to one of your seminars and enjoyed everything about it. She even said it gave her chills to hear about one of your experiences you talked about. So I am sure she would love to hear from you. Thank you so much for taken the time to read this and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Katherine C. Byers
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About a week later I had a response to my letter asking me when we could set up an interview. I was so excited. I couldn't believe that someone actually read my letter. Totally amazing! After doing two interviews with them I was finally offered my position.
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Hey Katherine,
I was wondering if you would except the intern position with NEI in Dallas for the Birds of the World show this fall?
Amy
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I was 1 out of 3 people chosen from the US and there were also 3 from outside the states. So being selected as an intern is a huge deal. Now I am just enjoying my last 10days here with my friends and family before I leave for 6 weeks.
My goal at the end of this internship is to absorb as much as I can and Impress the hell out of them. It will be interesting to see where this step will lead me.
Song of the Day: Beautiful Tragedy by In This Moment
