Trainer in training

I've had a lot of people asking me to tell them all about my first couple weeks at my dream job so I figured I'd just write it in here :)

In a nut shell, it is absolutely amazing. Every day when I'm at work, I'm in disbelief that this is actually happening. I love every single moment! Ok, maybe not the hours on end I spend bucketing fish and cleaning and picking off fish scales off of the counter tops..but the few moments I get to spend with the animals every day makes it all worth it.

Basically right now I'm learning the ins and outs of animal training at Discovery Cove. I've been set up with an awesome mentor (whose name is also Kelly, spelled differently, obviously..but it's still a little confusing..haha). She's in charge of getting me checked off on all my responsibilities. In a few weeks I'll get checked off on being the time keeper during interactions. For this I have to know all 18 of my pool's dolphins' names and how to tell all of them apart...which surprisingly, I already know all of them but 3 or 4. We've got some little one and two year olds who look exactly alike :P

The cool thing though is that my mentor already has me shadowing dolphin interactions. I've found myself thriving as I get to interact with guests and watch exactly what I'll be doing in a couple of months. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be :) I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to have a career that gives me so much joy.

This week and next I get to work in a lovely place called the fish house :) Everyone always has this perception that animal training is a glorious profession, that we just get to play and swim with dolphins all day long. Well who do you think prepares their food and cleans everything people? That's right, that's us too. This job is the hardest I've ever worked in my life. And it involves more manual labor than you'd ever know from the outside. First of all, fish house shifts start at 4am..yep. Hours before the sun has even risen. Basically, all the fish comes to us frozen and we have to break it out, thaw it, and separate it into buckets for the day. And fish can be gross and can carry all kinds of bacteria so it has to be fresh and kept iced to ensure the health of our animals...that's also where the cleaning comes in hand. Non stop cleaning alllll day! My hands are swollen and sore from all the bucket carrying and scrubbing. I'm not trying to complain, I'm just trying to show that this job isn't as glorious as it seems. So if you love dolphins, but hate manual labor...then just come see us as a guest..you probably don't want to be a trainer :)

Long story short ( guess I didn't really make it short did I? hehe) The past couple weeks have been incredibly challenging, but I love it so much. Hopefully more updates will be coming soon.

And I forgot to mention that Hutch is in my pool :) He obviously doesn't remember me because he's a busy famous dolphin and meets thousands of people each year, but still, I think we've made a connection. Hehe.

Thanks for reading friends. Until next time.

Kelli

"Praise be to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" Ephesians 1:3

I've had a specific goal since I was seven years old. A childhood dream that never went away. I've been working toward this goal ever since, patiently waiting for the day when it would become a reality. A career in marine mammal training is one of the most competitive jobs out there, but I didn't care. It was the career that I wanted, that I felt God had called me too. I would stop at nothing to make it happen.

I declared psychology as my major at the University of Central Florida. I worked my butt off in school and achieved a 4.0 GPA. My junior year, I got an internship with SeaWorld. Nothing special, I just lifeguarded at the new water park, Aquatica and took leadership classes. I worked hard and made sure I was noticed by management.

Just about a year later, I got a call saying that I had been accepted for an animal training internship at SeaWorld, all I had to do was successfully complete the SeaWorld swim test. 5 minute water tread, 220ft free style swim, 110 ft underwater swim, 24ft surface dive, platform dive, and script reading. I had never been more terrified in my life. I was not prepared! They only gave me a week to practice. I did the best I could, and I felt like I did a great job. After I showered and dressed for my interview, I was told that I didn't qualify. I didn't do well enough, I wasn't going to get an interview. I cried my heart out, but I wasn't giving up. I became an intern in Education instead.

That internship started a 2 year long career in Education at SeaWorld. I have met the most amazing people, swam with beluga whales and sharks, cared for penguins, and most importantly I've grown a lot. I've discovered my faults and what I'm truly good at. My communication skills have greatly improved, my understanding and love for a career with animals has grown, I'm ready.

The August after I started in Education, I was offered a swim test at Discovery Cove. SeaWorld's reservation only "swim with the dolphins" park. I passed and was granted an interview. I killed it in the interview. I felt like I did great. 2 weeks later I got a call saying I did not get the job. Rejected again. That February (a year after I had taken the SeaWorld test) I was granted another SeaWorld swim test. This time I was better prepared. I felt like I did great considering how tough that swim test was. Guess what they told me? Rejected. For the third time. I left disheartened, wondering if this career really was God's plan for me.

This past summer I applied for animal training again at Discovery Cove. This time, I wasn't even offered a swim test. Rejected yet again. I began to think, if they didn't even offer me a swim test, maybe they've decided they don't want me at all. It sucked.

I still didn't give up. What is ever gained without perseverance right? 2 months ago I applied yet again at Discovery Cove. This time I got a swim test, I passed with flying colors, I swam better than I ever swam. The interview was...ehh..I wasn't too pleased with my performance. A week later I got a call from HR. It was so soon I assumed I got the job, but I was rejected yet again. At this point I'm wondering when I should just stop trying. I had applied for animal training or related jobs 7 times and had always been rejected. How long was I going to keep this up?

Today I got another call from HR. I was set up for another interview tomorrow for a night watch job at Shamu stadium so I figured that's what it was about. The HR rep says, "Hi Kelli, remember when you swim tested and interviewed for the Associate Trainer position at Discovery Cove?" "Yes...." "and remember how you didn't get the job?" "Yes......." "Well, they have recently opened more positions, you did great in your swim test and interview, we'd like to hire you as a trainer. Are you still interested?" "YES" "Are you sure?" "Yes, yes I'm sure!" "This means you won't be considered for night watch, are you okay with that?" "OF COURSE ARE YOU CRAZY?!" lol okay I didn't say that. But you get the point.

I've spent countless hours at the pool working out. I've spent hundreds of dollars SCUBA certification, equipment, gym memberships. I've spent hours in front of my computer preparing cover letters and resumes, studying for interviews, doing everything I can to present myself in the best possible way so that I would get this job. I've spent years preparing and waiting for this to happen.

I'm a dolphin trainer. I've achieved my goal. It's happening. Holy crap.

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just had to get that out ;)

To GOD be the glory. He has made me who I am and it is only because of Him that I've been given this opportunity. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." It has taken a long time for God to give me this desire of my heart, and I have not always been the best at delighting in Him. It's been a long, hard road. But God has finally blessed me with something I wanted for a long, looong time. I could not be more thankful.

Thank you also to my amazing family, friends, and boyfriend for being so supportive. Giving me a shoulder to cry on, encouraging me to continue chasing after my goals. The hard work has finally paid off. (I feel like this is an award acceptance speech)

I can't believe it finally happened. Now it's party time!!!!

**The picture above is me and Hutch, a dolphin I met when I went to DC 5 and half years ago. Hoping I get to work with him now (there are over 40 dolphins at DC so I may not get to meet Hutch right away :P)

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" Colossians 3:23

Wow. I NEVER blog. I wanted it to become a habit, but that doesn't seem to be happening. I guess this blog will forever be an outlet for when I have a sudden burst of thought and I'm not too lazy to put it into writing.

Well, the sudden burst of though has happened! I've had a lot of job satisfaction lately, which is funny because I've recently gotten the 6th rejection from the career I've wanted since I was 7 years old. I guess I'm just trying to look on the bright side and be thankful that even though I don't have my dream job yet, my current job is pretty freaking awesome. Here are some pretty cool thing that I've gotten to do:

1. Once a week lately, I get paid to sleep at SeaWorld! Now, not much sleep is had, but it's still pretty amazing. So far I've slept at Shark Encounter and at Manatee underwater viewing. I get to see kids' faces light up, so excited to sleep at one of the coolest places they've ever been.

2. I get to do VIP tours. I can't think of a more fun way to spend my day at work than to just walk around SeaWorld and show excited guests one of my favorite places to be. I had 3 awesome families on my tour on Monday. The kids asked me to ride Kraken and Manta with them, so I got paid to ride roller coasters! Amazing! I'm hoping that one of these days I'll get to do a tour for a famous person. Though famous people tend to be high maintenance, so that might be a rough day..haha.

3. I've recently been added to a small team (currently with only 5 people, including myself) called Animal Ambassadors. Soon, I will be hanging out with Magellanic penguins. Once they get to know me and trust me (lol I know that sounds funny, but penguins can be very choosy about who they let hang out with them! They look cute, I know, but their beaks are quite sharp.), I will conduct "penguin touches." I'll be meeting tour guests and bringing them back to meet these cute, feathery fellas. I'll also be responsible for the maintenance of several aquariums, including a shark aquarium. Oh and did I mention caring for 2 massive snakes? They each eat a nice, juicy rat once every other week. Yummy. Haha. But I am SUPER excited about this new job responsibility! Obviously, I've always loved working with animals. This will give me great experience, as well as allow me to have even more job satisfaction where I'm at for now.

<--Magellanic penguin :)

Those are just a few of many reasons I LOVE my job. God has truly blessed me with this job, and I'm praying that I will work for HIM not for men. I also pray that He will give me boldness to share my faith with co-workers. I desperately want them to see the hope that I have in Christ. I'm struck with fear when I think about sharing the Gospel with people at work. God and I are trying to work through this fear..I need to get over myself!

Anyway, I am so thankful to be loving where I'm at as I strive to serve GOD first and not my career goals. I'm confident that God will continue to make it clear to me where I can serve and love Him best!

Kelli