 |
This is Alyssa's second year as lifeguard for Safari Day Camp. Prior to joining our staff in 2008, Alyssa worked for two summers at American Heritage summer camp as a lifeguard and swim instructor. She lives in Wellington with her parents, brother, and two miniature schnauzers, but was born in Bethesda, MD. Alyssa likes to stay active in 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 has visited because she "loves the people and the art." She can also speak Spanish.
 |
This is Amanda H.'s first year as a camp counselor with Safari Day Camp. When she isn't studying Elementary Education at the University of Tampa, she likes going to the beach, scrapbooking, kayaking, and camping. Amanda lives in Lake Worth, FL with her parents, sister, and dog Goldie. In previous jobs she was a professional caretaker and cardstore manager. Her favorite place to visit is Disney because "it makes me feel like a kid again." Amanda's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the primates such as monkeys and chimps.
 |
Amanda is familiar with the Safari Day Camp program since she is a former camper and CIT, but is now a first-year counselor. Born in Miami, Amanda is currently studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida and enjoys playing rugby on the school team. Her favorite place to visit is St. Thomas because of the beautiful beaches and her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the elephants. She also speaks Spanish.
 |
This is Andi's third year as camp counselor at Lion Country Safari. Originally from Mineola, NY, Andi currently lives in Loxahatchee with her husband, son and a collection of pets including a red-footed tortoise, 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 lifeguard certified. Andi works as an attendance clerk at Binks Forest Elementary School and is a kids' fitness trainer at Gym Ratz. The tortoises are her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari.
 |
Anneth is in her second 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 snake for the first time was her most memorable moment because "I never thought in a million years I would hold a snake."
 |
Dee has lived in Florida her entire life. She and her two daughters (Glennesha and Kentoria) live in Belle Glade, where Dee is a math 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 year 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."
 |
Doug returns to Safari Day Camp for his second year as camp counselor. Born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, he now lives in Boca Raton and attends Florida State University majoring in Biology/Pre-Pharmacy. He currently has three dogs that he rescued including an Australian sheepdog. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer or lacrosse, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends. Prior to working with Safari Day Camp this year, Doug had worked as a valet and a bar back. His favorite place to visit is the Grand Canyon because he had the most fun ever white watering down the river. At Lion Country Safari his favorite animals are the blue and gold macaws.
 |
This is Emily's first year as a camp counselor at Lion Country Safari, but she is a former Safari Day Camper. In her past jobs, she has worked as a sales associate, bookkeeper, and secretary. She was born in Daytona Beach, FL and studies Computer Science at the University of Florida. She has a dog named Shereeta and cats Figaro and Buttons. One of her favorite places to visit is Key West because she lived there but she also enjoys London and Paris because of the architecture. Emily's hobbies include reading, writing, and playing the guitar. Her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the snakes!
 |
Attending Palm Beach Community College, Ishmael is majoring in Forensic Science. He currently lives in Belle Glade with his family. This is his second year as a camp counselor 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 to visit because the White House is so fantastic. Ishmael's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the giraffes, especially the day that a giraffe at the feeding platform didn't seem to like the shirt Ishmael was wearing. He speaks some Creole and French.
 |
Born in Washington Court House, OH but raised in Ocala, FL, Karrie now lives in West Palm Beach. She graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a Bachelor's degree in Biology concentrating in Zoology and is able to speak Masai. This is her first year with Safari Day Camp. Before working with Lion Country Safari, she worked at the Palm Beach Zoo as an education coordinator, volunteer manager, and marketing assistant. For enjoyment, Karrie likes reading, movies, art, church, and traveling. Her favorite places to visit are Africa and Europe. Karrie's favorite animal at Lion Country Safari is the sulfur-crested cockatoo.
 |
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 third year with Safari Day Camp.
 |
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 third as a camp counselor. She has three dogs including an Australian shepherd named Bear and a red-nosed pit bull named Shorty-Red. She is attending Valencia Community College 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 baby polar bear for the lion enrichment.
 |
Joining Safari Day Camp for her first year, Meagan was born in New York City, NY but now lives in Loxahatchee with her family, four dachshunds, and chickens. She is studying Elementary Education at the University of North Florida and enjoys listening to and playing music, going to concerts, and photography as her hobbies. Her favorite place to visit is Discovery Cove because she "got to swim with the dolphins!" Her favorite animals at Lion Country Safari are the zebras.
 |
Nicole joins the Safari Day Camp team this year as a camp counselor. In her previous job, she worked as a sales associate for Picasso's Playhouse. She was born in Miami but now lives in Wellington with her parents, three brothers, dog, and cat. When she isn't at Lion Country Safari she likes to read, design clothes, play tennis, and go to the beach. Nicole is majoring in Business at Florida State University during the school year. Her favorite place to visit is Jamaica because the water and landscape is gorgeous. The elephants are Nicole's favorite animals at Lion Country Safari. She also speaks Spanish.
 |
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!"
 |
In his 12th year with Safari Day Camp (3 as a camper, 4 as a CIT and 5 as a counselor), Sean is studying Biology 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."
 |
In his sixth 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."
 |
A former camper at Lion Country Safari, Tyler joins us in the education department for his second year working with Safari Day Camp. Originally from Marietta, OH, 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.