How long have you been at the National Aquarium?
I’ve been with the Marine Mammal Department almost three years, and spent two years before that as an intern and volunteer with the Australia Department.
When did you know you wanted to work with animals/marine mammals?
As long as I can remember! I wrote to Sea World in fourth grade asking what they looked for in employees. They responded with their requirements and I basically used that as my life plan.
What is the hardest part of your job?
The schedule is difficult. We have trainers here seven days a week, 365 days a year. Your shift times vary from day to day and most of us have to work on the weekends.
What do you love most about your job?
I love that every day is different. Our days are constantly filled with shows, rehearsals, encounter programs, and training sessions. While it can sometimes get hectic, I certainly could not imagine myself in a 9–5 desk job!
Which dolphin do you feel you have a special bond with?
Although we trainers spend time building relationships with each of the animals, Nani will always be special to me because she was the dolphin with whom I trained my first behavior.
What is your most memorable experience?
There are quite a few, but one that stands out to me occurred on my very first day as paid staff. Divers had just been in scrubbing the bottom of the exhibit pool. One of the other trainers walked me over to the side and told me to look at how clean the bottom looked. I leaned over to see what she was talking about and as I did she pushed me, fully clothed, into the empty pool. When helping me out she said, "Now you’re part of the staff."
What is the funniest thing that has happened on the job?
I’d say it would be one of the many falls that we trainers have taken, myself included. When you work around this much water, things get mighty slippery. I remember watching one trainer who was narrating the show fall flat, mid-sentence, right in the front slide-out of the pool in front of an entire amphitheater full of people. The trainer played it off and carried on, but gave the rest of us trainers in the show a good laugh.
What is your favorite part of training the dolphins?
One of my favorite parts of training is that it’s just as challenging for the trainer as it is for the dolphin! You have a behavior in your mind and, without using words, must somehow convey what you’re thinking to the animal. It can be difficult and requires patience, but the minute you see the light bulb go off in that dolphin’s head and they understand what you want…there’s nothing like it!
If you weren't working with dolphins, what would you be doing?
I think I’d most likely be working in education as either an elementary school teacher or a college admissions counselor.
Did you or do you take any special courses in school that help you with your job?
Animal behavior allowed me to learn about animal interactions. Mammalogy taught me about the special adaptations that whales and dolphins have to make them successful in their underwater habitat. And psychology gave me a basis into how the mind works and learns.
What other project are you in charge of, when you’re not working with the dolphins?
I oversee and coordinate the Dolphin Observation Program. We take on volunteers from within the Aquarium to help us conduct behavioral observations on our animals. These volunteers are vital during dolphin pregnancies and subsequent calf development. When a dolphin is pregnant, we have observers here 24 hours a day, seven days a week watching them. Last year we had a total of 98 volunteers dedicate 3,617 hours of their time to our department! We can’t thank them enough!
