Pride In Our People: Beth

Our digital series, Pride In Our People, features the incredible staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium through written first-person narratives and/or podcast interviews.

Today, we are featuring Beth, a senior education specialist

This is her story…

I am a Senior Education Specialist with the Conservation Education Department, responsible for  Education Animal Care, Overnight Sleepover Programs, Animal Ambassador Internships, and the Safari Amphitheater in the summer.  I graduated from Slippery Rock University with a BS in Environmental Education and just celebrated my 22nd anniversary with the zoo.  I started at the Pittsburgh Zoo as an intern in the Research Department in 2000, teaching KidScience students about research methods for studying animal behavior, and was hired later that year as a teacher in the education department.   

The education department has classes both here at the zoo and out in the community.  We have almost 50 animals that live behind the scenes and need care and training to be able to attend all the different programs we offer.  A big part of my day is spent working with the animals and the other animal care staff/interns to ensure that the animals are having their best lives. I love the variety that you will find working here.   In the morning, you could go out to a school and teach about the rainforest, and in the afternoon you could be training an owl to fly across the room. 

I have lived in the Pittsburgh area my whole life and am really grateful for the opportunity to work for our Zoo.  We have a lot to offer our visitors and our community.  That is my favorite part of working at the zoo: showing others why we care so much about our animals and how amazing and unique those animals are.  There is nothing like seeing a child’s face light up when meeting a kinkajou for the first time or seeing an adult relax and realize that a snake really isn’t scary.  It is also a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and make their Zoo experience that much more exciting.

Thank you for all you do, Beth!