Organization: Farm Sanctuary is a haven for farmed animals, many of whom came from abusive situations. They are also heavily involved in education and policy campaigns to create a better world for farmed animals.

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Responsibilities: As a Shelter Projects Intern, I assisted caretakers with animal health checks and monitoring, fed baby animals (sometimes in the middle of the night!), learned isolation and quarantine procedures, prepared food for birds and rabbits, and cleaned barns and hospital areas.

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What I Learned: My biggest takeaway was the mantra "someone not something" when talking about animals. Living at the Sanctuary helped me get to know many of the animals and connect with species I had never met before, like pigs, chickens, and turkeys. Since then I have tried to cut out as many animal products as possible from my life, and be conscious of my language when I talk about animals. Working here helped me articulate why animal issues are so important to me and share my values with the people around me.

Organization: The Philly Zoo cares for over 1,000 animals and is known for being America's First Zoo. It has been a leader in animal enrichment and conservation education, and models the way for other zoos throughout the world.

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Responsibilities: The animals I worked with included the zoo's education animals and the KidsZooU animals. I trained animals to perform husbandry behaviors, acted as a resource for new interns, interacted with visitors of all ages to educate and foster connections to the environment, assisted keepers with special projects and care of mammals, birds, herptiles, and invertebrates, and cleaned animal enclosures and facilities.

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What I Learned: As an animal rights advocate, I often get asked why I would support zoos if I don't eat or use animal products. Working here gave me the perspective to help me answer that question and reflect on this issue through my values of responsibility and accountability.

Organization: The Working Dog Center (WDC) trains and does research on working dogs. The dogs are trained in various behaviors and eventually begin careers in search and rescue, apprehension, and substance detection, among other jobs.

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Responsibilities: At the WDC I wore two hats: one as a Behavior and Training Intern and one as a Nonprofit Management Intern. I balanced the two positions and gained experience in using positive reinforcement to train dogs in obedience, agility, and search behaviors, collecting, sorting, and coding data from training sessions and studies, and assisting Associate Director with administrative tasks and operations management.

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What I Learned: This internship showed me that I really enjoy and have a knack for animal training and learning theory. It led me to pick up a Psychology minor at school and look into careers in animal behavior. Training animals also helped me develop my skills of listening, observing, and staying calm under pressure.

Organization: Best Friends (BFAS)  is America's largest no-kill animal shelter. In addition to running a 3,700 acre sanctuary in Utah, they partner with organizations across to US to achieve the goal of being a no-kill country by 2025.

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Responsibilities: The bulk of my responsibilities at BFAS were oriented around animal care. I spent a week in each of the animal areas where I shadowed caregivers, providing the animals with enrichment, preparing their food, and cleaning their areas. Another part of the experience was attending educational lectures and demos throughout the day.

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What I Learned: BFAS truly exemplifies the quote "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." The organization was founded by a group of friends who wanted to create a better world for animals and they've always believe that every animal can be saved. In a time when there is a lot of anger and little hope in many activist circles, it was refreshing to see such a positive organization with so much faith in people and in animals.