Embracing the Gray: the Beauty of a Liberal Arts Education

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Emily G.

I have always been what people would describe as “good at school.” I love to read and write; I’m passionate about art, theatre and dance; and I thoroughly enjoy science and math classes. I have been #blessed with a thirst for knowledge and a support system that pushed me to excel in my academic career. Because I liked so many different fields of study and could see myself pursuing a great variety of them, I had a difficult time deciding what to focus on in my college search. Did I want to go to a school with a great English program? What about one that I could take highly regarded acting classes and minor in theatre? Once I figured out that I wanted to go into the sciences, my search got easier, but not by much. There was so much that I wanted to do, study, and experience whilst in college, and I wanted to do it all with great professors and peers by my side.

As you may suppose, this love for interdisciplinary learning led me to Scripps College and a liberal arts education. I like to think that I have made the most of this cross disciplinary academic approach during my last 3.25 years here: I have taken a variety of classes in both the humanities and sciences, and not just for GE credit either. I’m studying Science, Technology and Society , one of the most interdisciplinary majors that you can find at the 5Cs. I have been given the space to design my curriculum to best suit my learning needs and passions. I’ve learned that college doesn’t have to be only arts or science, black or white. It can be both, and Scripps embodies this concept. From my liberal arts education, I have experienced firsthand how to embrace the gray areas of academics and life. As a pre-vet student, my experiences working in an art gallery and taking voice lessons have enabled me to explore my creative side and tap into new, “non-scientific” problem solving methods. I can approach my future life and career with a perspective informed by multiple backgrounds and experiences, and I truly believe that this will make me a better veterinarian, scholar, and person.

Ultimately, the benefits of a liberal arts education can be summed up in the idea of freedom. At a liberal arts institution, you are not confined to taking courses in your major or minor: you can take any classes you want, in any discipline you desire. You are free to explore potential interests and study subjects for fun. You are free to design your own academic curriculum, one as varied or single subject as you wish. You are free to become your own person and grow in your individual interests, mindsets, and goals. I was free to dip my toes into every and all disciplines and journey down academic paths I didn’t realize existed. I didn’t have to limit myself to science and pre-health classes, and you don’t have to be either thanks to a liberal arts education. I am so grateful that Scripps has provided me with the space to grow in multiple disciplines, and I look forward to relishing the fruits of my interdisciplinary, liberal arts academic labors in the years after Scripps to come.

What do you think about liberal arts education? Leave a comment and share your experience!

Bonding with Baboons: Networking and Animal Care

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Emily G.

This past summer, I spent a sweaty and spectacular month at Keepers of the Wild Nature Park in Valentine, Arizona. Over the course of 200 hours, I worked with over 40 species of native and exotic animals cared for by a tireless staff, and I learned an immense amount every day about the practicalities and nuances of exotic animal care. I put my theoretical knowledge of animal nutrition, behavior, and enrichment to use, all while assisting with the day to day operations of the park.

I was continually impressed by how such a small staff could keep everything running smoothly, something that is not a small feat in the hot, dry Arizona desert with over 100 dependent animals. Not only was I impressed with the staff, facilities, and grounds of the park, I was continually impressed by the growth I saw in myself over the course of my internship. I learned how to work outside in a harsher climate than I am used to, to quickly adapt to different protocols depending on the animal species, to construct specialized diets based on species and individual animal needs, and so much more. Every time I talk about my internship, I come up with something new that I learned via the immersive education experience.

The nature park itself is divided into three large groups: care center animals, hoofstock, and big cats. The care center encompasses the birds, primates, and many native species, and this is where I spent the first week and a half of my internship learning the ins and outs of the park’s basic operations. It is also the site of one of my most influential lessons while at Keepers of the Wild.

We always learn that networking in any career path is an extremely important part of growth and advancement, and the most important contacts in animal care are the animals themselves. One of my favorite new contacts from this summer was Billy. Upon meeting, I was not Billy’s favorite person. He found me threatening, yelled at me frequently, and did his best to scare me off. I spent my first week trying to impress Billy, or at least keep him from becoming stressed at the very sight of me. I should also probably mention that Billy is a baboon. Billy came to Keepers of the Wild in 2002 after being owned by a teenage girl following his life as a baby baboon in the entertainment industry. As many animal loving humans know, primates and other exotic animals do NOT make good pets. They are wild, highly intelligent creatures, and animal instincts are not something to fool around with.

Though we frequently learn in classes how closely related primates and humans are, Billy gave me this education in an up-close and personal way. He loved apples and bananas and would drink Capri Sun straight from the pouch, as long as you put the straw in for him. He people watched and played with toys; he just communicated differently, had opposable toes, and incisors four times the size of mine. When I first arrived at my internship, Billy couldn’t stand the sight of me. He threw rocks, yowled, stared intimidatingly, and did everything that he could to keep a threatening stranger away from his home and friends. I went home nightly and did research on enrichment techniques for the animals I was working with, and I made sure to look up ways to make myself less threatening to Billy and the other primates. Many of them had already had incredibly stressful lives prior to arriving in the park, and the last thing that I wanted to do was induce more stress while trying to take care of them.

Slowly, Billy got more used to seeing me. I kept my head down (direct eye contact is a sign of aggression to primates), worked hard, and pushed myself to absorb as much as I could each day. He went from exhibiting threatening behaviors, to apathetic tolerance, and finally, Billy accepted me into the fold. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I was working on the Big Cats team (an incredible experience in itself, with many stories for another time), and I walked past Billy’s enclosure giving my customary “Hi Billy!” greeting. He had been coming over to the side of the enclosure to grunt hello to me for a few days, but this day, he ran right up, sat down at the fence, chattered his teeth in a sign of greeting, and insisted on holding my hand and grooming me. As I sat there with my arm in Billy’s hands, I became hyper aware that it was an astonishingly special moment that I would never forget.

Animal care is grueling, difficult, dangerous work that pushes you to the brink of what you think you can handle. Lives are on the line, and they are lives that cannot advocate for themselves, making the job a thousand times more difficult. It is stressful, exhausting, but also unbelievably rewarding. For every moment spent close to tears because you are hot, dirty, and frustrated because something very simple (like a lock) just won’t cooperate, there are beautiful moments where human and animal intelligence are brought together in mutual understanding. My moments of understanding occurred constantly throughout this internship experience, and I am so incredibly grateful for having this opportunity. Billy and I got along swimmingly for the remainder of my time in Arizona, and I think of him daily.

In the same way that Billy grew to accept, appreciate, and maybe even like my presence at Keepers of the Wild, I grew even more certain that a life spent in animal care is the right career path for me. I came out of my intensive month more desiring to go into exotic practice for veterinary medicine, and I hope to do this work in conjunction with a rescue organization someday. I have an enhanced appreciation for small, non-profit rescue parks and for exotic animal care in general. I know that my newly developed mindsets and perspectives will help me to become a better veterinarian, and I can’t wait to have more experiences like this in the future.

Debunking Internship Myths

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Emily G.

Internships are full of surprises and can be shrouded in mystery. We think we know what we are getting ourselves into, but often times, internships end up being completely different than we expected. Keep reading to unpack some common internship misconceptions and hopefully learn something along the way!

Internships are “one size fits all.”

The entertainment industry has portrayed internships in movies, tv shows, novels, and basically every other publicly consumed medium. Growing up, I always thought that an internship was a highly coveted position that involved picking up coffee and dry cleaning. I now know that this isn’t necessarily the case. Some internships may involve balancing three trays of Starbucks drinks while running around making copies, but there are internships that involve video editing, phone banking, and even assisting in surgery. All internships provide immense amounts of career insight and experience, but they are a lot less formulaic than we are commonly led to believe.

Asking questions will make you seem like “the stupid intern.”

There are a few damaging stereotypes that can surround the idea of the workplace intern: overworked, incompetent, annoying, and useless. These words couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to interns! Interns are some of the most engaged, thoughtful, and dedicated people in the business. The purpose of an internship is to LEARN. In order to do this, you have to ask questions and figure out the ins and outs of a workplace. There is a learning curve, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t qualified to be there. Asking questions doesn’t make you annoying, it makes you engaged and interested. Yes, you probably will be overworked, but hopefully in the best way possible. Don’t worry about the unfounded beliefs about your position, and go in each day willing to work your hardest and break down those unflattering stereotypes.

Being an unpaid intern means that you aren’t qualified for a paid position.

Unpaid internships are still exist in the working world today. Although more companies are paying interns, unpaid opportunities are still a very common way to gain career experience, and often can lead to a paid position at a place of work. Many times, it seems an intern does the same amount (if not more!) work than an official employee. Just because you are not being paid to be there doesn’t mean that you aren’t valued. You had the skills to get the internship, and you will develop the skills to be employed in that field, if you don’t already have them. As much as employers benefit from having you there, you also benefit from taking an unpaid internship. Your internship is a time for you to learn about a prospective career path and decide if it’s right for you. You are there to gain experience and refine your career goals, and who knows, you might even end your internship with an official job offer!

Interns are disposable, and if you mess up, you’re out.

While this may be true with some internships, the general truth is that the place that you are interning probably is in need of an intern and their primary role should be to teach you. Businesses use interns for a variety of purposes, and typically they are in need of an extra set of hands. They aren’t usually going to throw out that extra person just because some documents weren’t collated properly. It’s okay to make mistakes, and if you butcher something, it’s going to be fine, more often than not. Employers appreciate honesty and dedication, and they understand that sometimes mistakes happen. As long as you are up front about and understanding of what went wrong, it’s fairly likely that they will be too.

Finally, a fact about internships:

5. Interning is one of the best things you can do.

For better or for worse, internships provide incredible career experience. Even a “bad” internship can show you what you do and do not want from your future career and that is invaluable. Internships are full of learning opportunities, and you don’t only learn about jobs, you learn about yourself. Internships can be difficult and stressful, but you grow and evolve as an employee and person in the big working world. So next time you are offered an internship, go ahead and say yes! Your future self will be glad that you did.

My First Internship: A Walk Down Memory Lane

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Emily

When I walked into the animal shelter veterinary clinic in Camarillo, CA at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, my hands were shaking. It was the first day of my first animal care internship. My mind was racing, questions buzzing through nervously. What is it going to be like? Will the people be nice? What am I going to do here? What am I going to learn? Are they going to be willing to teach me? Am I cut out for this? Is veterinary medicine the right career path? My eyes were wide, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I waited anxiously with the barking, happily recovering dogs in the dog ward.

After a few minutes, one of the veterinary technicians came in and introduced himself. He told me that the office was already chaotic and busy (I would soon discover and love that every day was a whirlwind of surgeries and exams), and that the entire staff was happy to have me there to help. He led me into the main exam room where I met Dr. Heather Skogerson and the other vet technicians. Dr. Heather welcomed me with a smile and a tour of the clinic, and then set me to work.

The events of my first day were a blur of vaccinating kittens, helping with dog and cat exams, and learning the ropes and procedures of the clinic. I spent time bottle feeding underage, orphaned kittens in the nursery and observing spay/neuter surgeries. I watched lost animals come in and adopted animals go home. By the time I went on my lunch break at 2:00pm, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life healing animals.

At the end of the day, I was tired and sore, but more energized than ever before. I couldn’t stop smiling when I got home, and all I wanted to do was talk about my amazing new internship.

I spent the summer observing and scrubbing in on surgeries to repair eyes, limbs, and everything in between, administering medications to make sick animals well again, changing bandages to keep healing wounds free from infection, vaccinating so that healthy animals would stay healthy, counseling adopters to help find forever families for our animals, and becoming a foster and adopted parent to three orphaned kittens who stole my heart as well as my bed. I became an integral part of the veterinary clinic and formed lasting relationships with my mentors and teachers there.

My first internship was an eye opening glance into the world past college. I saw what a “real job” looked like in a chaotic and high pressure workplace. I jumped in and learned through hands on experience. I realized that it was okay to be nervous and unsure, and I was able to channel that nervous energy into productive work energy. I asked questions at every given chance, and I turned mistakes into learning opportunities. Most importantly, I saw where I wanted to be in 10 years. I finally had an answer to that dreaded interview question, and I vividly remember the relief that I felt. Veterinary medicine was and is the career path for me, and internships have taught me with countless lessons along the path toward my goal. I am so thankful for the valuable, heartwarming, and funny experiences that I’ve collected, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you this semester!

Now it’s your turn! What was your first internship was like? How was your first day? I want to hear about it, so comment below and share!

Coffee Girl to the Rescue

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Olivia

For my fellow high school classmates and I, the second half of senior year was an incredibly exciting (and nerve wracking) time. In addition to figuring out where we would be heading for the next four years of our lives, we also were finishing up classes a whole six weeks earlier than everyone else. I kept that image of sweet relief in my mind as I willed myself to do homework and to study hard to finish out the year strong, knowing that in just a few short weeks I would be lounging pool side (think Sharpay in HSM 2) while other students were sitting in calculus.

However, there was a catch to getting out early: seniors had to participate in a six week “capstone project.” For my project, I had two ideas that took me quite a bit of time to choose between. On the one hand, I thought an internship at a publishing company would be perfect for me. The school had many graduates that worked for local companies and I could have done some networking (woo!) to weasel my way into an internship. On the other hand, the idea of pursuing something new really intrigued me. I have been singing my whole life, and while I had always possessed an interest in song writing, I had never really tried it before this time. In the end, I decided to design a song writing program for myself that consisted of voice lessons, piano lessons, song writing lessons, and open mic performances.

Boy, do I regret that.

I don’t regret it because it wasn’t informative for me— I realized early on that song writing is not something that I am either a. particularly good at or b. particularly motivated to do— but rather because I didn’t feel like it was benefiting me. I couldn’t help but feel that if I had chosen to go the other route and take an internship that I would be en route to solidifying my “life plan.”

When I applied for internships last summer, one of them was at the publishing house I had wanted to work for senior year. I didn’t get it. And, honestly, a big part of me wonders if I had taken an internship there senior year, would I have received the internship?

I spent my summer asking incredible women what advice they would give themselves or to others in college. I have learned an immense amount from these responses, but I have yet to ask myself what advice I would give myself. Looking back, I would tell myself to not worry about the “prestige” of an internship. I think a large part of me was scared about taking a six week internship because I didn’t want to just be on coffee run duty. I was afraid that in the short period of time I wouldn’t learn anything beneficial and wouldn’t really get any “good” experience. However, what I wish I had thought about is that maybe if I had done the six weeks and gotten through the “coffee stage,” I could have skipped it another summer altogether. Or, maybe, I would have just received some office experience in general and learned how the working world works. I didn’t take the chance because I didn’t think it really would do me any good. Now though, I try to not think about that when I am looking into internships. Yes, it would be incredibly cool to get a highly selective internship at a top notch company… but I also know that is setting a very impractical standard for myself as a sophomore that has had one internship. I need to work my way up, even if that means starting as “coffee girl.” Plus, you never know where any career is going to take you and what opportunities it may bring!

Did you work your way up to where you are now? Was your first position informative even if you weren’t directly involved in the company’s business?

Beyond the Elms

Exploring Careers with Scripps Students

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