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A native Floridian, Johnnie Mae lives in Belle Glade with her husband Earl, their 2 sons (Jermaurion and Gifford) and daughter (Gilisa). During the school year, she works at her family's day care center. Prior to that, she worked as a teacher's aide in county schools for 6 years. She is an education major at PBCC and in her spare time, she is involved in church and community activities. Her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the monkeys. She says she has learned a lot about the different animals while she has been working here. This is her first year with Safari Day Camp.
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Lasonja has lived in Florida her entire life. She and her two daughters (Jaida and Tranaya) live in Pahokee. A sophomore education major at PBCC, she is a media clerk at Glades Central HS during the school year. Her most memorable moment at Lion Country Safari was the behind-the-scenes tour with our Wildlife Director. "When I saw the elephants up close, they became my favorite animals," she explains. This is Lasonja's first year with Safari Day Camp, and she says, "I am looking forward to having a great summer."
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In his 9th year with Safari Day Camp (3 as a camper, 4 as a CIT and 2 as a counselor), Sean is a Biology major at PBCC and also works at Publix. A Florida native, Sean lives in Palm Beach Gardens with his parents (Duane and Janice). They have 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 rabbits, a parakeet, and a red-tailed boa. His favorite Lion Country Safari animal is Elizabeth the Burmese python. His most memorable moment at camp was when he got lost in the woods. He says, "I'm hoping that I have a trouble-free summer this year."
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Amanda was born in La Porte, IN and currently lives in Wellington with her parents (Bill and Willetta). She is a sophomore Nursing student at PBA and enjoys bicycling, tennis and crafts in her spare time. Her prior work experience includes being a receptionist and a nanny. Her most memorable moment at Lion Country Safari was "doing the scavenger hunt on the preserve" during camp counselor orientation. A first-year Safari Day Camp Counselor, Amanda says, "I am looking forward to working with the kids."
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Dee has lived in Florida her entire life. She and her daughter (Glennesha) live in Belle Glade, where Dee is a substitute teacher during the school year. She also works part-time at Lion Country Safari in the Retail and Finance Departments. She says she likes working here because "everybody is friendly and it's a fun place to work." This is her second summer with Safari Day Camp, but her first as a camp counselor. She is an education major at PBA. In her spare time, she goes shopping, to the movies, to church, and enjoys spending time with her family. She says, "I am really looking forward to working with the campers and having a great time with them."
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Born in Philadelphia, Terry lives in Royal Palm Beach with her husband and daughter. They have a parrot, a dog, and two cats. In her spare time, Terry enjoys traveling, hiking, canoeing, surfing, and scuba diving. During the school year, she is a substitute teacher at Wellington HS and works in Lion Country Safari's Entertainment Department. In her second year as a Safari Day Camp Counselor, Terry says, "I really enjoyed summer camp last year. The children were wonderful and very excited to see the animals. The sound of their laughter and the light in their eyes is what I look forward to each morning."
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A native of Belle Glade, Francine still lives there with her husband (Selestre) and their two sons (Semari and Selestion). She is an education major at PBA and is a substitute teacher during the school year. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, going to City Place, to church, or out of town on the weekends. This is her first year as a Safari Day Camp counselor, and she says she is looking forward to it.
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Born in Greensburg, PA, Ben currently lives in Royal Palm Beach with his mother (Mary). He is a freshman majoring in Park and Resource Management at Slippery Rock College. His prior work experience includes being in the National Guard and working at Dairy Queen and Little Caesar's. Ben says the best part of working here is "the people I work with." His most memorable moment was doing the scavenger hunt during counselor orientation. A first year Safari Day Camp counselor, Ben says, "I'm looking forward to putting forth a good work experience for all."
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In her fourth summer with Safari Day Camp, Kacey is a Florida native who currently lives in Wellington with her parents (Matt & Sandra) and two sisters (Jeanne and Lindsey). They have an Alaskan Malamute (Sugar Bear) and a cat (Ivory). Kacey earned a BFA in computer animation from UCF in May. She is also lifeguard certified. Kacey says, "There is no experience like Safari Day Camp. Each day is filled with new educational and enriching activities." Her favorite animal here is the Northern Pied Hornbill.
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Jessica was born in Jacksonville and currently lives in Loxahatchee with her parents (John & Deborah) and brother (John). They have a quarter horse, 3 dogs, and an aquarium. She is a history and secondary education major at UF and a substitute teacher during the school year. Her most memorable moments at Lion Country Safari were the behind-the-scenes tour and doing the scavenger hunt with Lasonja during orientation. She says the best things about working at Lion Country Safari are the friendships, employee perks, learning about animals, and working with children. This is her first year with Safari Day Camp.
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A former camper and CIT with Safari Day Camp, Steven is a psychology major at UF and is lifeguard certified. A native Floridian, Steven lives in Royal Palm Beach with his mother (Kim) and stepfather (Tim). They have a cat (Maddie), golden retriever (Cooper), and fox terrier (Lizzy). Prior to joining our camp staff, Steven worked at a radio station and for a snake breeding facility. He says the best part of working here is the close-knit, group feeling in the education department. His favorite Lion Country Safari animals are the lories. His most memorable moment here was "The rhinos breaking the electric fence."
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At Lion Country Safari since 1998, Rhonda was an instructor at PBCC for
11 years, at a private school for 6 years, and at Penn State for a year prior to joining
the LCS Education team. She earned her B.A. in English at USF and studied
Comparative literature in graduate school at Penn State. She has had a lifelong
love of animals and says that Lion Country Safari is "a wonderful place for
everyone to learn to appreciate wildlife and wild places." She says the best part about working here is "every day is a new adventure." Her most memorable moments have been "meeting several of my former students visiting Lion Country with their spouses and children. Some have even had their children here in our summer camp!"
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A Florida native, Sondra has been at Lion Country Safari for two years.
She and her family live in RPB with their 2 basset hounds, 4 lovebirds, and 2
parakeets. After getting a degree in legal studies at South U, Sondra worked
at the Palm Beach Zoo before joining our Education staff. Her favorite animal
here is Clymer the prehensile-tailed skink. She has two "most memorable moments": The Free Palm Beach Post Day and preparing for the hurricanes last fall. "It was great to watch the gators and walk-thru animals being secured," she says. In her spare time, Sondra enjoys traveling, gardening, and reading.
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Sean M.
In his third year with Lion Country Safari's Education Department, Sean received his A.S. from Santa Fe Teaching Zoo, and his B.S. in Zoology at the State University of New York - Oswego. He is also lifeguard certified. Sean lives in WPB with his miniature schnauzer and 2 parakeets. His favorite animal here is Ike the baby alligator. Before joining our education staff, Sean worked as an animal keeper at the Palm Beach Zoo. Sean says that his most memorable moment was "helping take pictures of special (celebrity) guests for the marketing department."
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Born in Biloxi, MS, Jen currently lives in WPB with her fiancé and their 2 cats. Jen earned a BA in Liberal Studies at UCF and an AS in Zoo Animal Technology at Pensacola Junior College. Prior to joining the Lion Country Safari education team, Jen worked at Disney's Animal Kingdom and was a docent at the Central Florida Zoo. In her spare time, Jen enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games. This is her first year with Safari Day Camp.
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Joe
In his fifth year with Lion Country Safari's Education Department, Joe received his BS in Biology from the University of South Dakota. He is also a certified lifeguard. He says the best part of working at Lion
Country Safari is "the interaction with the animals and the opportunity to educate the public about wildlife." Joe says that "it is difficult to choose a favorite animal because they are all special and unique in their own
way." His most memorable moment was "training Eddy (Double Yellow-Headed Amazon) to step-up onto a stick."
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This is Kelli's fourth year with Safari Day Camp; however, this is her second year in
Education -- the other two years, she was in Wildlife and did some of the Keeper Talks. A graduate of Santa Fe Teaching Zoo (FL) and Delta College in MI, Kelli lives in WPB with her dog (Mya), cats (Max & Chase), a leopard tortoise (Cameron), California kingsnake and millipede. In her spare time, Kelli enjoys reading, wood burning, going to the movies, and taking care of her pets. Her favorite place to visit is Cedar Point, OH because she loves roller coasters. Her most memorable moment at Lion Country Safari was "observing Terry Wolf collect semen from Bulwagi, our African elephant."
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Born in Sunrise, FL, Jayson Tomasheski has lived in Florida all his life. He and his girlfriend Jessica currently live in Lake Worth. His parents (Jack & Jeena) and brother (Jackie) live in WPB. After earning his B.A. in Theatre Arts from FAU, Jay was the house manager of Crest Theatre prior to joining our education team in July 2005 as an education assistant. Jay still works at the Crest Theatre as a technician, and he takes paid acting work part-time. He is also lifeguard certified. His favorite Lion Country Safari animal is Redman, the Aldabra tortoise. His most memorable moment here was "when I was first introduced to Redman. It made me realize what zoos mean, to be able to get people close to wildlife from around the world." This is his second year with Safari Day Camp.