I assisted in the husbandry of five African Elephants currently living at Pittsburgh Zoo, as well as two giraffes, two zebras, eight nyalas, and two ostriches. The internship involved learning about being a zookeeper for some of the largest residents at the zoo. Everything was touched on, including cleaning, training, feeding, enrichment, and education. It was a 10-week program and though it was sometimes very labor intensive, the knowledge and opportunities I gained far outweighed everything else.

In the mornings and afternoons, I assisted with the clinic’s appointments. My main responsibility was helping to groom and prep the horses for their check-ups and surgeries. I also got the opportunity to shadow the head surgeon every day. Sometimes, I went to offsite appointments with the staff and administered electrolytes and other medications to racehorses.

I conducted biomedical research. Specifically, I was tasked with researching the RNA helicase DHX37 and its implications in a hereditary autoimmune disorder. My job was to biochemically characterize DHX37.

I went to court to see live cases and shadowed the attorneys when they attended different meetings with clients. I helped with the discovery process for cases and got to know many other lawyers in criminal defense and prosecuting.