Sidney Abel is a B.S. zoology major from Albany, NY. Thanks to COLSA’s SOAR Fund, she was able to accept a summer internship with the Utica Zoo, which helped her gain valuable skills in animal care.
The SOAR Fund supports undergraduate students by providing stipends that can be used to supplement unpaid internships or pay for transportation to interviews and career events. The SOAR Fund accepts applications year-round. While all COLSA students are invited to apply, applicants with financial need are strongly encouraged.
Tell us about your internship.
Sidney Abel: I was a primate and large reptile animal care intern for the Utica Zoo. The day to day of the internship consisted of providing daily care and cleaning of the animals in the primate section of the zoo. While completing these tasks we also educated the public of the animals in the collection.
How did you find out about the internship?
Sidney: Through an application on the zoo's web page.
What were your favorite parts of the internship? Any memorable moments?
Sidney: By far my favorite part of the internship was watching the animals I worked with daily begin to recognize and trust me. Primates are particularly known for being slow to trust, and I really enjoyed developing a relationship with them. Some memorable moments for me were definitely the first time I went into the red panda exhibit, assisting in the lion feeding, doing the keeper talk I wrote weekly, and making new enrichment items for the animals under my care.
What was the most valuable thing you learned?
Sidney: The most valuable thing I learned during this internship is patience. I underestimated the time that would be spent working with the animals to achieve desired behaviors as to not break trust and the amount of patience you need to have for the guests at the zoo so you can properly educate them on the animals.
What are your future goals? Do you think the internship brought you closer to them?
Sidney: My future goals are to work as a zookeeper in a zoo like the Utica Zoo. This internship brought me significantly closer to this goal by giving me more experience in the field and building connections with people in the field.
Any advice for students looking for an internship?
Sidney: Don't give up if you don't get the exact position you want and be realistic. Any experience is experience at the end of the day. I would also recommend going often to the St. Martin Career and Exploration Office. I don't think I could've made as good of a resume without them. You underestimate the skills you actually have.
Tell us something you love about UNH.
Sidney: Every single professor or staff member I have meet has been willing to help me succeed. It truly feels like they want you to succeed.
Did you receive any awards or grants that made this internship possible?
Sidney: I would not have been able to do this internship without the SOAR fund. This grant made this financially possible as the internship was unpaid.
