Danielle R. Kish

2001
            In August of 2002 I went on a cruise to Mexico.  When I was in Puerto Vallarta I had the opportunity to swim with a dolphin for the first time.  This was a life altering moment for me, I realized my lost dreams could be found.  One week after returning from this experience I registered for classes and I am still going strong.           

            When I got back, I was living in Tempe, AZ and began courses at Mesa Community College (MCC).  Shortly after starting at MCC, my roommates packed up and moved cross country forcing me to move back home, for finance reasons.  At this time I transferred to Glendale Community College (GCC).  While living there, I decided to move to the east coast.  I had always wanted to live on the east coast at some point in my life.  So while I was at home I saved some money and soon moved to Boston, MA. 

2003
            I moved in the summer of 2003 and spent two years there.  The first year there I did not attend school because I was waiting to be eligible for instate tuition.  In January 2004 I found out about the volunteer positions at the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA.  I applied immediately, was tested, passed and began volunteering there.  I remained as a volunteer until May 2005 when I left Boston.           

            While at the aquarium, I worked in the education department.  This entailed giving Live Animal Presentations (LAP), Giant Ocean Tank (GOT) talks, doing question/answer sessions throughout the aquarium also leading behind-the-scene tours.  The education department was also responsible for staffing the Edge of the Sea, which is a hands-on exhibit for guests.  I had also written a presentation for the Harbor Seals in-front of the aquarium.

            In order for an educator to do a LAP, educators needed to be certified with that animal.  The certification process needed to be completed for each individual animal.  Certification required three observations, writing your own presentation, giving three presentations observed by different supervisors in the education department.  During my one ½ year there, I was certified in all the animals used for presentations including, lobsters, horseshoe crabs and sea lions.  The sea lion presentation was not given to all educators for it was in a different department, but by working with the sea lion department and education,  I was certified. 

            Being certified for a GOT talk and/or question/answer sessions, was much more involved.  The GOT is 40 feet across, 23 feet deep, and contained 187,000 gallons of water including an imitation coral reef.  There were approximately 690 fish in the tank and 129 different types of fish to present including, three types of sharks and three types of turtles (Myrtle was the favorite, a 550 lb. green sea turtle).  The presenter had to be knowledgeable about all areas of the tank.  Knowledge had to extend from the history, to the size, to the fish within, to specific knowledge on the most popular fish within the tank.  The presenter also needed to be able to identify at least 40 different types of fish within the tank, while having extensive knowledge of the turtles and sharks.  Obtaining this certification was one of my greatest accomplishments while working at the aquarium.  During my time at the aquarium, Aug ‘04 to May ‘05, I was working full-time, taking seven credit hours at Quincy College and volunteering on the weekend. 

I must also mention that volunteering at the aquarium allowed myself and fellow volunteers the wonderful opportunity of taking whale watches.  I was able to take many trips and observe numerous types of whales in the wild.  To watch these beauties in their natural environments.  To be able to watch them with their young, during feeding and just having fun.  I took advantage of every opportunity I could.  The New England Aquarium opened the door to tremendous opportunities.

2006
            Unfortunately financial problems came up and I decided to move back home, to Arizona so I could finish school in a more timely manner.  Prior to leaving Boston I had an opportunity to visit the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CN.  During this time I took part in the Beluga Whale interaction program.  I fell in love this magnificent creatures.  Amongst the activities, I had the unique chance to brush the belugas teeth.  I am very passionate about my love of dolphins, but I will admit that belugas have cemented a special place in my heart.  I found them to be kind, loving and peaceful.  I hope I have further opportunities to observe and spend time with these magnificent creatures.

 I finished my associate degree at GCC in May of 2006 and began back at Arizona State University, ASU, in Aug 2006.  Graduation is May 9, 2008.  While I am still working, going to school and volunteering I am enjoying every minute and cannot wait to graduate. 

2007
            In May 2007 I completed an internship and volunteer work with Horses Help, HH.  This was not an established internship with ASU.  However, with the help of the ASU internship coordinator, Dr. Elaine Jordan, I was able to create a very challenging and educational internship.  Horses Help is a horse assisted therapy facility.  I began training in September 2006 and the sessions started the end of September 2006.  I was also working with a specially trained horse that works with Alzheimer patients and other elderly.  During the spring 2007 semester I began my internship with HH.  My ASU mentor was Dr. Stephen Lewis.  My time at HH was amazing. 

During my internship I spent time understanding the horses, the process of approving children to ride, and learning all the aspects of horse therapy.  I was also given an opportunity to work with the Hippo Therapy.  My involvement was to lead and ensure that the horse being used was in good condition.  I was given first hand experience of the good that animal assisted therapy could provide.  I also spent one-on-one time with the therapists and with the horse trainers.  I spent time grooming the horses and learning how to train and work with them.  I was also given an opportunity to spend time with the horse dentist.  I was walked through the process of dental care for a horse, this I found incredible.  My time at HH was an extremely rewarding experience and I would not have changed any of it for the world.

Unfortunately during the summer months it is to hot in Arizona to continue with HH therapy sessions.  For this reason I looked outside the state.  I was given a chance to go to Key Largo, FL and spend time with the animals I have dreaming of working with since I was four.  I was accepted for an internship at Dolphins Plus (D+) and Island Dolphin Care (IDC) in Key Largo, FL.

My internship began on May 15, 2007.  I took all my finals early this semester in order to drive from Arizona to Florida.  I always believed that an internship is a wonderful way to find out if a person's dreams are really what they want.  To be hands on in a field that I wanted to spend my whole life.  I believe I am one of the lucky ones, my dream could not have been more right. 

D+ is a facility that allows the general public to interact with the magnificent dolphins they have at D+.  The guests spend time with a D+ trainer learning about dolphins in the wild and within the facility.  The guests are then broken into groups and prepare to get into the water with the dolphins.  The guests get in the water with the dolphins and get to do a number of actions with the dolphins determined by the trainers.

IDC is a sister facility to D+.  IDC offers a Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) program.  It is a not for profit organization that provides dolphin assisted therapy for those with special needs and disabilities.  They offer 5-day programs, marine education, dolphin therapy camps and talks.  The 5-day programs include not only the child but the families as well.  All are incorporated into this amazing program!

I was fortunate enough to spend time with both of these amazing facilities.  During my time at D+ I was given an opportunity to do food preparation, water analysis, cleaning and maintenance of the facility, guest relations, daily site procedures and the opportunity to oversee swim sessions.  I also spent time in the water with these awe-inspiring animals.  The time in the water was spent learning how to work with these beautiful creatures.  Of course there was also the chance to have a lot of fun!!

In addition to this work I was also required to create my own research project.  I thought my project was amazing!  My first few days there I fell in love with two of the dolphins, Sara and Samantha.  I soon discovered that these were the only two dolphins that were not food motivated.  So I did a project to determine if there were certain types of guests that were swimming or certain behaviors that the girls did not want to do.  Since food was not the motivator I felt that the girls would have to be willing to interact with the swimmers.

On MAY 9, 2008 I will have completed the next chapter of my life.  I will be graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.  I will be graduating with a 4.0 GPA (current), Summa Cum Laude and as a member of the Golden Key International Honours Society and The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  I have worked very hard and long to achieve this goal.  Could I have graduated earlier?  Probably, but if I had I would not have had the experience of working with horse assisted therapy and working with dolphins. 

No matter where I end up, I know it will be something I have worked for, and based on my previous experience I already know there is no better place for me than in the water.