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Alyssa has worked for two summers at American Heritage summer camp as a lifeguard and swim instructor before joining Lion Country Safari in her first year with Safari Damp Camp. She lives in Wellington with her parents, brother and two miniature schnauzers but was born in Bethesda, Maryland. Alyssa likes to stay active on her time off with swimming, tennis, going to the beach, art, and photography. Her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the monkeys. Alyssa says Italy is the best place she ever visited because she "loves the people and the art". She can also speak Spanish.
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This is Andi's second year as camp counselor at Lion Country Safari. Originally from Mineola, New York, Andi currently lives in Loxahatchee. She lives with her spouse, son and a collection of pets including a red-footed tortoise, red-eared slider, 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. Andi works as an attendance clerk at Binks Forest Elementary school and is a kids' fitness trainer as Gym Ratz. The tortoises are her most favorite animals at Lion Country Safari.
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Anneth is joining Lion Country Safari in her first year with Safari Day Camp. Born in Tampa, Anneth is a native Floridian. She and her husband Dennis live in Wellington with their dog Rusty. They have 3 children and 9 grandchildren. Anneth studied at Missouri Southern and has been a preschool teacher "on and off for 30 years." In her spare time, she enjoys sewing, crafts, reading, decorating, baking, and shopping. Her favorite place to visit is the beach "because it is quiet and relaxing." Anneth's favorite animals here are the lions, rhinos, and giraffe. However, holding the the snake for the first time was her most memorable moment because "I never thought in a millions years I would hold a snake."
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Born in Fargo, ND, Annie has lived in Florida since 2005. She currently lives in WPB with her husband Kevin and their 3 cats (Bonnie, Clyde & Lucifer). Annie earned a B.S. in Social Work from U of Wisconsin and an A.S. in Zoo Animal Technology from SFCC. In her spare time, Annie enjoys reading and traveling ~ she's been to 27 countries so far. Annie's favorite place she's visited is Brazil because "I got to sleep out in the rainforest, catch piranha, and see the largest falls." Annie says the things she likes best about working here are "training the animals and doing shows.'" She knows American Sign Language. This is Annie's first year with Safari Day Camp.
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Chelsea has been a CIT since 2005 and this is her first year as a camp counselor with Safari Day Camp. A Florida native, she lives in Wellington with her parents (Robert and Catherine), her brother (Tyler), and her sister (Shannon). Chelsea enjoys boating to the Bahamas with her family. She has one dog and a horse but her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the giraffes. Her favorite place to visit is Venice, Italy because it beautiful because of the waterways especially the Grand Canal. Chelsea's most memorable moment was "getting to know the campers as a CIT" which is why she wanted to return as a counselor. She is majoring in Civil Engineering at UF.
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Crystal has worked at Lion Country Safari for three years and this is her second year with Safari Day Camp. She was born in Hialeah and has loved living in Florida all her life. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in cognitive sciences at UCF in Orlando but during the summer she lives in West Palm Beach with her parents, brother and their three dogs, two horses, and rabbit. She enjoys reading classic novels, visiting the ocean, and all water activities. Crystal's favorite place to visit was Atlantis because "it was a wonderful experience to swim with the dolphins ad observe how intelligent they are." Her favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is Angaza the giraffe because she has watched her grow up. Crystal loves working at Lion Country Safari because of the people she works with.
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Born in Ft. Lauderdale, Dean now lives in Loxahatchee with his parents, brother, and sister. He also has two dogs named Banshee and Babie. In his spare time he enjoys the sand and surf of the beach. His favorite place he visited is Vancouver, Canada because it is so different from Florida. The Asiatic water buffalos are his favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. Dean has worked with the South Florida Youth Association in the past as well as in retail but is joining us this summer as a camp counselor for his first year.
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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 fourth summer with Safari Day Camp, but her third 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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Born in Miami, Edward currently lives with his family and dog, Tucker, in Loxahatchee, Florida. This is his first year as camp counselor at Lion Country Safari. He is currently studying geophysics at FAU but enjoys video games, writing, and reading in his spare time. His favorite place to visit is North Carolina because the mountains are so beautiful. Edward's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the lions. He's sure to enjoy lion week with his campers!
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Attending Palm Beach Community College, Ishmael is majoring in forensic science and currently lives in Belle Glade with his family. This is his first year with Safari Day Camp but has worked at Lion Country Safari since 2007. He enjoys working with the other employees and interacting with the guests. During his spare time he likes to run, cook, and fix computers. Washington D.C. is his favorite place because the White House is so fantastic. Ishmael's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the giraffes especially when a giraffe didn't like the shirt Ishmael was wearing when he was trying to feed the giraffe. He speaks some Creole and French.
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Born in Biloxi, MS, Jen currently lives in WPB with her husband, Dean, and their cat, Vysarion. 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 Lola, the baby rhea. This is her third year with Safari Day Camp.
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In his seventh 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. She has been with Lion Country Safari since 2006.
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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 second year with Safari Day Camp.
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Born and raised in Florida, Maggie had been a camper and a Counselor in Training (CIT) for four years with Safari Day Camp and this year will be her second as a camp counselor. She has three dogs including an Australian Shepherd, Red-nosed Pitbull, and a Samoyed. She is attending PBCC and studying hospitality management with plans to secure a position in the tourism industry. 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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Melanie has been a camper and CIT with Safari Day Camp since 2001 and is now a camp counselor for her first year. She is attending the University of Central Florida. She lives with her parents (Cindy and Kevin), sister (Kimberly), dog (Buffy), and conure (Randy) in Loxahatchee. Her hobbies include volleyball and she loves to travel. Melanie says that Europe is her favorite place to visit. The elephants at Lion Country Safari are her favorite animals.
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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 West Palm Beach, Florida. This is her second year as an Education Assistant with Lion Country Safari. She has previously worked in a vet clinic, pet store, and boarding facility. In her free time she enjoys going to the beach, watching movies, visiting zoos and shopping. Her favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is Manowari, a giraffe. 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 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 11th year with Safari Day Camp (3 as a camper, 4 as a CIT and 4 as a counselor), Sean is a Biology major at PBCC and also works at Publix and Lighthouse Elementary School SACC. A Florida native, Sean lives in Palm Beach Gardens with his parents (Duane and Janice). They have 2 dogs, 5 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 fifth year with Lion Country Safari's Education Department, Sean received his AS from Santa Fe Teaching Zoo, and his BS 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 animals here are the sarus cranes because they are so stately. 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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A former camper at Lion Country Safari, Tyler, joins us in the education department for his first year working with Safari Day Camp. Originally from Marietta, Ohio he moved to Florida ten years ago and currently lives in Royal Palm Beach. He has one dog named Dusty and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking. Before joining the education department at Lion Country Safari he worked for Palm Beach County and the state of Florida in both the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection. His favorite place to visit is Busch Gardens since it doesn't feel like a traditional zoo. Tyler's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the elephants.