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A former camper himself, Adam, has joined the Lion Country Safari staff as a first year camp counselor. He has lived his whole life in Florida having been born in West Palm Beach and now residing in Wellington, FL with his family and two yellow Labrador retrievers. He is currently a student at the University of Florida studying mechanical engineering. He enjoys his time at school and describes the atmosphere as "fun and lively" where one can meet new people. In his spare time he likes to hangout with friends, play computer games, and participate in physical activities such as running and sports. He is also life guard certified. His favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is Priscilla, the chinchilla.
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This is Andrea's first year as camp counselor at Lion Country Safari. Originally from Mineola, New York, Andrea currently lives in Loxahatchee. She lives with her spouse, son and a collection of pets including a red-footed tortoise, red-eared slider, two betta fish, two dogs, three cats and a corn snake. In her spare time she likes to go snorkeling, boating and to the movies. She is also life guard certified. Andrea had been an after school counselor and one-on-one aid for over three years, worked at a bank for fourteen years and even owned and operated her own car and house detailing service. The tortoises are her most favorite animals at Lion Country Safari.
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Born in Greensburgh, PA, Ben currently lives in Wellington. His prior work experience includes the National Guard and working at Dairy Queen and Little Caesar's. Ben says the best part of working here is "the ability to express oneself on stage." His many pets include an iguana, bearded dragon, armadillo lizard, and two cats named Hemmingway and Sid. Ft. Benning, Georgia is his favorite place because it has the toughest military training. The iguanas and flamingos are his favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. This is Ben's second year with Safari Day Camp.
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Dee has lived in Florida her entire life. She and her two daughters (Glennesha and Kentoria) 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 third summer with Safari Day Camp, but her second as a camp counselor. She is an education graduate from 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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A previous Safari Day camper and CIT (counselor in training) for four years, Douglas has joined Lion Country Safari for his first year as a camp counselor. Born in Ft. Lauderdale, FL he now resides in Boca Raton with his family, two dogs, and two Quaker parrots. He is studying Biology with a pre-pharmacy track at Florida State University. He enjoys playing sports like soccer and lacrosse, spending time with friends and going to the beach. Spider monkeys are his favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. Doug looks forward to Safari Day Camp and working with the kids and the animals.
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Heather, our groups coordinator, is originally from southern Ohio, but now makes her home in Lake Worth, FL. Though she has recently completed a degree in Behavioral Science at Lynn University, she will forever be a Buckeye at heart, having studied English at The Ohio State University. Prior to joining Lion Country Safari she worked as the volunteer manager at the Palm Beach Zoo and as a science center coordinator with the city of Boca Raton. Heather's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the flamingos because they are pink, her favorite color. This marks her first year with Safari Day Camp.
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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 BA 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 Cici, the Sulfur crested cockatoo. His most memorable moment here was "the first time Cici talked on cue in front of a live audience." This is his third year with Safari Day Camp.
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Born in Biloxi, MS, Jen currently lives in WPB with her husband. 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. She enjoys "the hands-on experience with the variety of animals we use for shows. There's always something new to learn about them and their individual personalities." Jen's favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is King Louie, the Florida kingsnake. This is her second year with Safari Day Camp.
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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 graduate 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 second year with Safari Day Camp.
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In his sixth 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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Native to Florida, Johnnie Mae lives in Belle Glade with her 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 second year with Safari Day Camp.
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Kaitlyn is joining Safari Day Camp this year as the certified lifeguard. She was born in Aiken, South Carolina but now resides in Wellington with her family and Siberian Husky named Volley. She enjoys outdoor activities such as going to the beach, sports, and fishing but also likes watching movies. Her previous jobs included tour guide, waitress, and hostess. Kaitlyn's favorite place she has visited was China because it is so different from the United States. The lions and zebras are her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari.
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Although he has been a part of the Lion Country Safari team, this is his first year with Safari Day Camp. Kevin was born in Royal Palm Beach, FL and has lived there all his life. In his spare time he enjoys playing hockey and writing stories. The most memorable place he visited was Islands of Adventures. The lions and zebras are Kevin's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. He looks forward to meeting all the kids in his group each week and "hopes this summer is a memorable one."
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A Florida native, Kristyn was born in Broward county but currently lives in Wellington with her mother, Robin, and father, Mark, and dog. In her free time she enjoys tennis, working out, and spending time around family and friends. She had previously worked at Wellington Christian School during summer camp and has worked at New Horizons Elementary School in the aftercare program since 2005. Her favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is Arnold, a scarlet macaw. She states Arnold as her favorite because "he works well with me. I have built up a relationship with him as a trainer." 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 second year with Safari Day Camp, and she says, "I am looking forward to having a great summer."
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Born and raised in Florida, Maggie has been a Counselor in Training (CIT) for four years with Safari Day Camp and this year will be her first as a camp counselor. She has three dogs including an Australian Shepherd, Pitbull, and Samoyed. Her hobbies include baton twirling, filming videos, and photography. Maggie's favorite place that she visited is Alaska and says "It is the most amazing thing to see a glacier, let alone walk on one." The giraffes are her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. Her most memorable moment was making a giant turtle enrichment for a lion enrichment.
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Born in Natick, Massachusetts Nicole went to college at Baker College in Michigan to study science and education but now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. This is her first year as an Education Assistant with Lion Country Safari. She has previously worked in a vet clinic, pet store, and boarding facility and has had other jobs as an office assistant, bartender, and a retail assistant. In her free time she enjoys going to the beach, watching movies, visiting zoos and shopping. Her favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is Azul, a blue-and-gold macaw, because "he is such a clown." Her most memorable moment was her first show working with Azul since "he had the whole audience laughing". The place she likes to visit the most is Vermont because her family goes every year and the winters there are absolutely gorgeous.
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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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In his 10th year with Safari Day Camp (3 as a camper, 4 as a CIT and 3 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, 3 cats, 2 rabbits, 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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In his fourth 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. His favorite animal
here is Clymor the Prehensile-tailed skink. 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 and raised in Belle Glade, FL she attended Glade Central High School and later went on to graduate from Texas College. Her hobbies include reading and spending time with family. Before entering her first year with Safari Day Camp she has held positions with the Boys and Girls Club, Palm Beach County School Board, and with West County Mental Health. Her favorite place to visit is Paradise Island. Terry looks forward to having fun and inspiring the kids to get involved in the various activities planned this summer.