CBS undergraduate Ana Suson draws on her passion for animals to prepare for a career in conservation education.

“You may just be teaching the next Jane Goodall."
Ana Suson’s interest in animals goes way back. Starting when she was just a few months old, Suson and her family made frequent trips to the Milwaukee Zoo. She started attending summer camp at the zoo at six years old and recalls sharing animal facts with her family. While some of her childhood observations were less accurate than others (thinking a rhinoceros is a species of dog, for example), Suson’s desire to continue learning about and interacting with animals was.
“I’ve always wanted to work with and for animals in some way,” says Suson. “I really like exotic animals, in particular.”

She has also worked and interned at the Milwaukee Zoo to expand her knowledge of conservation and work with animals.
“I’ve always loved big cats and wanted to do something with them, so working side by side with them at the Felidae Centre was amazing,” says Suson. “But working as an intern at the Milwaukee Zoo was really pivotal for me. Through some career development and goal setting I did throughout the internship, I realized that conservation education is what I really want to do.”

– Lance Janssen