Racine Zoo

The Racine Zoo will attract a more diverse cohort of interns and help underserved young adults build careers in the profession by providing paid monthly stipends for students. During the course of this project, the zoo will create 30 internships for university students or recent graduates in its Animal Care and Conservation Education departments. Additionally, the zoo will offer five positions in each of three seasons for local high school students, with a stipend offered upon completion of the high school internship program. Many urban youth cannot afford to participate in unpaid positions, so the stipends will help overcome those barriers. The zoo will track participant satisfaction and future placement in permanent positions. To measure the success of the initiative, surveys will be sent one month, one year, and two years following the completion of each internship.