Ornithologist, Zookeeper

Seven years ago I was an awkward high school freshmen, interested in science and learning rather than sports, trying to find a place to fit in. When I heard about WOSO I thought I might have actually found such a place. Here was a group of students who shared my passion for science and learning, and were also some of the nicest, most welcoming, high school students around. My teammates are still some of my closest friends. Lead by an amazing team of teachers, WOSO helped to shape my future and get me to where I am today.

I am currently a full time zookeeper at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas. I work mainly with penguins and flamingos as well as a multitude of other avian species. The Ornithology events were my first real exposure to bird identification. Sure, I knew the common backyard birds, but I had never really tried to identify birds by call alone, or learned their taxonomy.

The skills I learned in WOSO helped me in my college Ornithology classes, when I had to learn every bird. Now that I work with birds, I’m so grateful to have learned so much about birds early on. Taxonomy alone allows us to anticipate behaviors from our birds, even though we might not have had much experience with that exact species. We can connect the behavior of similar species to our new birds, so that we can prepare appropriate nests and habitats before the birds even arrive.

WOSO also taught me critical thinking skills, improved my memorization, and taught me how to actually study. Without these skills, college would have been much more challenging. I graduated a semester early with a degree in Biology and Zoology and lots of animal experience. I’m very proud to have been a part of the WOSO team. Go WO!

-Jen Richrdson, Class of 2012