Kelly Mahoney, '18

"I received this opportunity from my Public Relations professor at SJU. I had her as a professor last year and we worked with the Elmwood Park Zoo on our group project. In my role, I work with the Marketing team to advertise and promote upcoming events at Elmwood Park Zoo. I have written animal updates to inform current customers about how the animal they "adopt" is doing and any information regarding where that animal is, or a fun fact. I then promote upcoming events so they can purchase tickets or attend the zoo that day. I meet with the Special Events team to help come up with ideas about upcoming events and to ensure that we are all on the same page so we can advertise them on our social media platforms."

"When I first get to the zoo, I sign in and see if anyone has left me a note with a list of things to do. If they did, I will do those tasks and then finish what I had started the previous day I was there. I typically check the animal updates I was working on and see which ones were sent and then finish the others. I also attend meetings and take notes for further reference."

"I use a lot of writing, organizational, creative and social skills. All of these skills have improved since my first day at the zoo. I believe my time here has allowed me to strengthen those skills and many others."

"My SJU education prepared me in many ways. I have always been social, but being involved in such a close knit community at SJU has really helped me make connections with other employees at the zoo. I really enjoy working with a team, forming ideas and bouncing them off others when trying to create something. My writing classes also helped me be creative when writing updates."

"My advice would be to stay open to the opportunities given to you. I knew I wanted to do something with event planning but never imagined working for a zoo. I never really thought of a zoo to even have an event planner but the events I have helped with throughout the semester were very cool and different than certain events that I had previously been exposed to."