How did you get involved in Humane Education? My journey to Humane Education started when I was first hired at Nebraska Humane Society as an Adoption Coordinator. I worked in adoptions for about 4 months and then transitioned into our Dog Behavior department, where I oversaw our Canine Companions (Volunteer Dog Walkers). After about a year and half in that position, I transitioned into our Education Department, where I have been for around a year and half. Before I worked at the Humane, I worked part time at a vet clinic as a vet assistant while also spending my summers working at YMCA overnight summer camp. I always knew that I wanted to work with animals and the youth, so working in Humane Education was really the best of both worlds!

How did you become involved with APHE? My coworker and I were looking for resources to help us during our transition into Humane Education since we were both new to this field, and we found APHE and joined immediately. Best Decision we have made.

What do you feel are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of working in Humane Education? I think the most challenging aspect of Humane Education is getting people to understand what Humane Education is and the importance of it. We have been fortunate enough that our presentations are gaining popularity within our jurisdiction and more and more schools are inviting us out to talk about what we do, but we still struggle to get across the importance of Humane Education. My favorite part of my job is hosting our summer camp program, Camp Kindness, where we have kids ages 6-13 come to our shelter and learn all about what we do, how we can better the lives of our animals, and take care of our environment. It is always rewarding to see our campers grow and share their mutual love for animals. Our camp program is based around ways to show kindness to each other and to animals, so watching kids fully embrace that concept is always rewarding.

What projects or programs are you currently working on? Like many, we are just winding down our Summer Camp program. We hosted 8 weeks of different themed weeks where we reached over 400 kids. So right now, we are gearing up to start some new afterschool learning opportunities where we have kids from the ages of 13-16 come to the shelter and learn what we do while also getting to talk to some of our staff members and have some hands-on learning.

What is your hope for the future of Humane Education? My hope for Humane Education is for it to become more well known.

Do you have any interesting fun facts about yourself? Interesting facts about me: I have a fun collection of earrings, I am trying to collect every color of the rainbow in crocs, and last year I read 115 books.

What do you like to do when you're not working? When I am not working, I like to spend time with my friends and family (mostly at dog friendly places, so my dog can come too) or reading a good book.

Do you have any cute pets at home? I do have 3 pets at home. I have a Golden Retriever named Sunny, a Bearded Dragon named Zona, and my most recent addition is a Guinea Pig named Milkshake. I hope to get Milkshake a friend or two in the near future.