Navarro, Sarah
Education
- B.S., Lyman Brigg's Zoology, Michigan State University, 1999
- M.S. in Zoology, Michigan State University, 2001
About
Dr. Richard Snider was right that my internship at Salisbury Zoo was a pivotal moment in my life as it when I was an animal keeper there that I first decided that I wanted to go into informal education at a zoo. It was there that I found that I really enjoyed my interactions with the public who had questions about the animals for whom I was caring. Times and attitudes were different then and, unfortunately, I also learned that these interactions from those in animal care were not something that was encouraged by my supervisors (thankfully, most zoos DO encourage this now). My roommate, however, was in the Education Department at that zoo and after a few long talks with her, the rest, as they say, is history.
I graduated from MSU with a B.S. in Lyman Briggs Zoology in 1999 and an M.S. in Zoology in 2001. My current position at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is Education Program Development Manager. That basically means that I head up the program development (program direction and curriculum creation) efforts for overnights, camps, and public on-grounds programs at the Zoo. I also help recruit, hire, and train the instructors and also socialize and train the animal ambassadors that are part of the programs. No day is typical and I love that because it keeps me on my toes. My true goal, though, and I know this sounds clichéd, is to make a difference and leave the world a little better place because of my actions. My goal is not that every child that goes through "my" programs become the next Jeff Corwin or Jane Goodall. I just want them to appreciate nature and their role in it and to let that appreciation and awareness guide the decisions that they make in life (whether it be that they start a garden, recycle what they can, plant a butterfly bush, unplug and go outside more, or choose a career in it.).
In 2014 Sarah was selected as a 2014 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow.