The Fred Factor

The interns read "The Fred Factor" by Mark Sanborn this summer. It's a great book about making the most out of your job and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. I feel that high school students are just beginning their work lives and should start with some great tools for success (even though this book would be great for anyone wanting to make the most out of their job).

We had them write down thoughts after each chapter. Here is what they had to say about different parts of the book:

Which Fred principle is you favorite and why?
"Success is built on relationships is my favorite because if you have good customer service you are more likely to have people visit you again and bring others. Good relationships bring good success!" - Ka'la Drayton

"Everyone makes a difference is my favorite. I love the line, "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted." I agree! If someone did their job with dedication then he will stand out even if his job seems small." - Erin Peifer

"You can reinvent yourself regularly is my favorite because it allows you to show your creative and individual side." - Jalonna Robinson

"Everyone makes a difference is the one I like best. I feel like so many people don't believe this, but everyone affects things around them. No matter what you do, you make a difference. Whether that difference is good or bad, is your own choice." - Jeremy Kitzmann

"You must continually create value for others, and it doesn't have to cost a penny is my favorite principle because I don't ever spend a penny. To make a friend's day all I do is make them laugh." - Oddom Vong

Why would anyone want to be a Fred?
"Loving what you do, making other people happy, caring for others...all of those things will in turn make you happy and generally a great person to be around." - Hillary Evans

"To satisfy others and go to sleep at night thinking, Wow, I really impacted that person's life whether they know it or not. To share joy with others that may need it and not know they need it." - Jalonna Robinson

"Why would anyone NOT want to be a Fred? People should want to be a Fred to not only better themselves, but to better the people around them. Becoming a Fred will make people have the best times at work and at home. People should want to be a Fred to make a change." - Kaitlyn Servello

"For self satisfaction, to feel important, to make a stranger smile, to live a more positive life." - Jeremy Kitzmann

Everyone Makes a Difference (chapter 4)
"Because making a difference makes life sweeter. When you do something nice for someone, a smile or a thank you is the biggest reward." - Carlee Hennemann

"Every little thing you do to or for someone else affects their life and ultimately your own." - Angela Liu

What do you think of the 7 B's of relationship building? Do you think they work?
"I do think they work. In all, he is saying that honesty and having interest is most important in relationship building. I agree because my best relationships are based on that." - Erin Peifer

"I like the 7 B's a lot. I think they are so true. My favorite one would have to be, "be real". I think you have to be real so everyone knows who you are and not somebody you are trying to be." - Oddom Vong

How can you add value to your position here?
"Entertain mostly. Nobody likes to hear facts read straight from a book so you have to add fun and people will listen and at least walk away knowing one new thing." - Carlee Hennemann

"I could be more enthusiastic and give people strange facts toremember. With children, I can give small prizes to reward them. While working, just greeting someone could create value." - Caitlin Smith

Why is it important to reinvent yourself? How can you do so at the Aquarium?
"It is important to reinvent yourself so that you are able to have a more enjoyable life and to help become a better Fred. At the Aquarium I can reinvent myself by acting on my ideas because like the book says, if you don't act they will just be ideas, not actions." - Kaitlyn Servello

"So you can constantly improve yourself. Since I'm shy, I could begin to be more engaging with staff and visitors (I don't think I'm really getting better with that!)." - Angela Liu

"You efforts inspire people, whether you know it or not. Reinventing yourself can give you more options. At the Aquarium, I can always help a visitor or listen to what they have to say. I can go out of my way and do more than my job requires." - Caitlin Smith

How can you turn the ordinary into the extraordinary here at the Aquarium?
"I can make sure that everyone is beyond satisfied with their visit by just listening and caring about what they say. I can also treat the visitors and staff with dignity, respect and kindness." - Ka'la Drayton

"Let everything you do come from the heart. If what you do is meaningful to you, others will see that and it will become meaningful to them also." - Hillary Evans

Hope you enjoyed those as much as I did :)
- Jaime

Oddom's Favorite

My favorite animals to work with are the loggerhead and green sea turtles. They are my favorite because they are amazing and it is so much fun taking them out to get some sun. We have to sit and watch the sea turtles so they won't be attacked by birds. I'm going to really miss those little guys!

- Oddom Vong

Kaitlyn's Favorite

My favorite animal so far would have to be the opossum. I really like working with her and getting her used to people and noise. I feel like I am getting a chance to teach an animal that humans are not all bad. Everyday when I work at the Aquarium, I get to tell kids that not all animals are bad and now I get to teach the opossum the same thing. She has her own personality and that makes her fun to work with. I never would have thought that I would be playing around with a opossum!

- Kaitlyn Servello

Ka'la's Favorite

My favorite animal to work with is Orville, the corn snake. I like working with him because he is very calm and relaxed when he is out on the floor around visitors. His variation in colors and his Indian corn colored belly, immediatly trigger the guest's brains to what type of snake he is.

I like telling the visitors about where they can be found and allowing them to overcome their fear of being near a snake by letting them touch.

- Ka'la Drayton

I need to get a picture of Ka'la with a snake, but until then I like this one of her with Dante - Jaime

Jeremy's Favorite

My favorite animal to work with would definitely have to be Orville, the corn snake. I like the snakes in general because they just slither around and it feels cool. They aren't complicated to handle, unlike the alligators, in my opinion.

I like Orville the best because he is the smallest and very active and cool to look at.

- Jeremy Kitzmann

Jalonna's Favorite

The king snakes are my favorite. To be specific, Louis! By working with him, I have conquired my fear of snakes and I'm more comfortable with getting him out. He's my ultimate fav! Ya just gotta love Louis, the best king snake ever!

- Jalonna Robinson

I didn't have a picture of Jalonna with Louis yet, so I picked this picture because I love it! - Jaime

Hillary's Favorite

Ides the Opossum:

She's probably my number one favorite animal. I didn't know opossums could be so cute! In the wild they've always seemed so nasty and scary, but up close, Ides is cute and cuddly.

Liberty the Bald Eagle:

I never thought a bird could be intimidating, but Liberty looks like she would not hesitate to kick my butt? I definitely have a healthy fear and respect for her and I very cautious not to overstep my boundaries when I'm cleaning her exhibit during bird rounds. I think she's extremely beautiful, but also crazy scary. I won't be picking fights with her anytime soon!

- Hillary Evans

Erin's Favorite

My favorite animals to work with are the alligators. They are exciting even when they don't move because I know what they will grow to be as adults. The opportunity to handle them is very uncommon and I have a lot of respect for them. All of the visitors get excited when I come out with an alligator.

I wish they I had the chance to get closer to Liberty. If I did, she would be my favorite, I think.

- Erin Peifer

Carlee's Favorite

My favorite animal to work with would have to be Inky. I think he and I have a connection. Although I have a connection with all the animals and I can tell they all love me. I think I might be an animal whisperer. The animals are my favorite part of working here!

- Carlee Hennemann

Caitlin's Favorite

I don't exactly have a favorite animal to work with because I enjoy each animal for a different reason. For example, I enjoy feeding the stingrays because you can feel their teeth when they suck the food out of your hand. I also enjoy seeing then come to the top of the water surprising visitors.

I also like working with the penguins because of the way they walk. It's almost like dancing and it's very amusing along with their honking sound.

The more we get to handle Rosie (Columbian Red-tailed Boa), the more I think she will become my favorite of all beacuse most of the people I know wouldn't have the courage to handle a 6.5 foot long snake and let her hang around their neck. Also, she is a sweetheart and feels different to handle compared to the other snakes for some reason.

- Caitlin Smith

Angela's Favorite

I love working with all the animals, but if I had to choose one, it would be Ides, the baby opossum. She's just 5 months old and no bigger than a kitten and just as cute. We don't get to take her out for visitors to see. She's still getting used to people so the staff and interns get to interact with her!

I think Ides can help change a lot of people's negative impressions about opossums because garbage digging aside, they are really interesting animals.

- Angela Liu

Alligators!

The interns have steadily been learning how to handle many different animals. We started with the turtles and then moved on to the smaller snakes. Next was...the alligators!

The alligators are only about 2 years old which makes them about 15 inches long. Even though they are small, they can be fiesty. The interns are now alligator experts and can get them out and take them down for visitors to see.

It's a great oppotunity to educate our visitors about alligators. So many people are scared of them and with good reason since they are carnivores that average 12 feet. BUT, if we can teach people not to feed them in the wild OR help people understand that we should stay away from them when they are in their own habitat, then we've done our job!

I'm very proud of the interns for handling the little guys. It might have been a bit scary at first, but they've got the hang of it now :)

Next, the interns will handle Rosie, a Columbian red-tailed boa, that is 6.5 feet as well as two injured Eastern screech owls. Never a dull moment!!

- Jaime

The summer is half over - Hillary

Ahhhhh! What!!

I didn't even know it was half over! I'm going to miss all the other interns, for sure, even the college interns. They are the best. I'll miss the penguins too! They're like my BFF's. I feel like I want to learn so much more before the summer is over so I'm going to make the most of everyday and make sure I always learn something new.

I'm going to go crazy with nothing to do. What in the world am I going to do without all my Aquarium friends (humans and animals)!?!

- Hillary Evans

The summer is half over - Erin

I'm so sad that the summer is half over. I'm going to miss this job a lot, especially when I get my next job. I have a feeling it's going to be much less fun. Now that I have this job, I'm completely spoiled :) until August. Then school starts again and the best time of year is over. I'm already a little sad after writing this blog...

- Erin Peifer

The summer is half over - Jeremy

I have enjoyed my summer very much so far. Both working at the Aquarium and staying at home or hanging out with friends has made my summer complete. I don't like the fact that the summer is already half way over because my fun will end and a new kind of "fun" will begin...school.

I will definetly miss working at the Aquarium and the summer freedom, but most of all I'll miss not having to think about school.

- Jeremy Kitzmann

The summer is half over - Caitlin

This summer had been one of the most eventful summers yet. I can't believe four weeks have already passes by so quick. I have been enjoying my time at the Aquarium so much I didn't even realize the internship was halfway over.

I'm going to educating the children and all their crazy stories. I'll miss all the interns and employees as well as the husbandry duties. I don't know what I'll have planned for my summer morning when the internship is over and that seems disappointing.

- Caitlin Smith

The summer is half over - Oddom

I can't believe that it's already half way through the summer. It went by so fast and I wish it wouldn't. This job is so amazing and I'm going to be sad when it's over. I don't think I'm going to find another job just like this one.

I'm going to miss the baby sea turtles the most!! I'm going to miss not being able to take them out every week so they can get some sunshine on their shell. Another thing that I'm going to miss a lot is the touch tank. Overall, I really wish summer would never end and that I could work here forever.

- Oddom Vong

The summer is half over - Ka'la

I am really going to miss working here this summer. With the summer being half over means time for school and time to tell people about my experience working here. I'm going to miss everyone being together and taking pictures with visitors when they see an animal up close or at a cart program. This internship has given me a lot of knowledge and friendships that I will always remember.

- Ka'la Drayton

The summer is half over - Kaitlyn

To know that the summer is almost over is kind of exciting because I want to go back to school and sad because it's awful that I am going to stop this internship. I love working here and I don't think I would be working anywhere else if I didn't have this job.

I am going to miss the people I work with and working with the animals. The other HSI's (High School Interns) are so awesome, it makes working here a blast. I am going to miss working with the animals the most because what other job an I going to have where I can work with animals and help them?!

- Kaitlyn Servello

The summer is half over - Carlee

I'm definetly not excited that it's almost over! Of course I want to volunteer whenever possible, but the volunteer positions don't include the same stuff that our internship does.

This is hands down the best first job I could have ever asked for! I'm going to miss the animal handling and feedings as well as all the great people. This was obviously a great experience I will never forget and I'm glad I got the opportunity.

- Carlee Hennemann

The summer is half over - Angela

This summer sped by so fast! I can't believe that it's almost over and the thought of it makes me sad. I'll miss everything about this job - working with the animals, the staff and my fellow interns.

Though I love all the animals here, the ones I'll miss the most are the birds. I can't believe I'll never hear the penguins squawk for food or see Liberty (the bald eagle) give the husbandry staff a hard time again after four more weeks. But, I'm sure these remaining weeks will be amazing and I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

- Anglea Liu

The summer is half over - Jalonna

I don't want the summer to end anytime soon. It's been loads of fun meeting new people and trying new things. I'll probably miss being around the animals when the summer is over. I'll miss the reaction of people when they feels the stingrays move in the touch tank. Overall, I'll miss a little bit of everything.

- Jalonna Robinson

Week 4...

...is over! I can't believe it. The summer is flying by and the interns have been wonderful. It's so great to have the extra hands on the floor with visitors and they are learning so much. This week we finished alligator training and started opossum training as well as Rosie (6.5 ft Columbian Red-Tailed Bos) training. They have mastered a new Cart Program, the Bird Cart and are continuing to read "The Fred Factor" by Mark Sanborn.Here is my favorite picture from this week. Jeremy and Oddom put Camp Carolina tattoos on as they were working at the Bird Cart and then showed them off while we were doing opossum training. Who would have known that 2, 16/17 year old boys would still love fake tattoos :)

-Jaime

Week 2 & 3

The second and third week of our intern summer went so fast! Is amazing to think of all the things they have learned in such a short period of time. The past two weeks we've added several things such as:

Alligator handling

Trading Post training

Bird Diets

Bird Rounds

Waddle Wagon

Alligator bin cleaning

Sea turtle sun bathing

Bird Cart training

We like to add more and more things as the summer goes along so the interns don't get overwhelmed in the beginning and continue to learn new things all summer. As you could see from their blogs about their husbandry shifts, they really enjoying preparing food and feeding the animals (I have a couple more pictures to finish next week. Stay tuned for Ka'la, Erin and Carlee's thoughts on animal care).

The guests that visit the Aquarium have had a chance to interact with our interns on the floor and we've needed the extra hands (that's for sure!). It's been a busy summer and we still have so much more to do.

Here is my favorite picture of this week. It's of Ka'la, Jalonna and Hillary as we were getting ready for our Waddle Wagon program. That's Jalonna in the Waddle Wagon. Don't worry she's didn't really eat the penguin's fish :)

-Jaime

Carlee & Animal Care

My husbandry duties...hmmmwell, they include Waddle Wagon (feeding penguins and pulling wagon for the show) and Bird Rounds (collecting bird food dishes), both are quite exciting. A face to face encounter dealing with the penguins is something a lot of people wish they could do, including me. It's quite amazing actually.

Bird Rounds are fun as well when you are on top fo the Mountain Forest exhibit and people are looking up at you and the otters are thinking it's time for food. These experiences are a good start for me. The duties give me a taste of what college will be like when I study zoology and begin college internships.

- Carlee Hennemann

Erin & Animal Care

I really like being able to get closer to the animals by feeding and caring for them. Feeding a penguin is something I've been bragging about a little at home :) Making bird food won't be a problem at all with some practice and I like doing Bird Rounds. I just need to learn everything a little better before I'm completely comfortable.

- Erin Peifer

Oddom & Animal Care

Husbandry duties are one of the best parts of this job. I love taking the sea turtles outside so they can get sunlight for their shells. I have to say that the baby sea turtles are so cute! Feeding the penguins is fun too. I was a little scared when I fed them, but it was fun. Making the touch tank food is a little smelly, but it's a good price to pay for the animals. Husbandry duties are a very cool thing to do while I'm here.

- Oddom Vong

Caitlin & Animal Care

I haven't really been able to take care if the animals much since I only work in the mornings, but I have made food for the touch tank animals and oddly, I enjoy it. It seems like cutting up shrimp is my specialty. It was pretty intimidating cleaning the alligator enclosures since they sometimes hiss at you, but I get to give them clean, fresh water.

Aside from all that, I feel like I save the sea star's life when I get to remind children (and even adults) that they must keep them under the water at the touch tank.

I wish I had an afternoon shift though, so I could help feed the penguins and even have a chance to do bird rounds (though, just the name, doesn't sound too pleasant). At the end of the day, I enjoy everything I have had the chance to do.

- Cailtin Smith

Kaitlyn & Animal Care

Our husbandry duties are so much fun! I love working with the animals and being able to care for them. I really like taking the sea turtles outside for sun. I makes me feel like I'm helping them because the sun is good for their shells and I get to make sure they stay healthy.

- Kaitlyn Servello

Jalonna & Animal Care

I enjoy doing the husbandry duties. The Waddle Wagon is very cool and I like feeding the penguins. It's Awesome!! Bird Rounds are fun too, but it's a lot of work, especially on a hot day. Overall, husbandry work is a wonderful experience and I Love It :)

- Jalonna Robinson

Angela & Animal Care

Taking care of the animals is probably my favorite part of this job. Not many people can say they've fed a penguin, been close to a bald eagle and taken baby sea turtles out for sun! All of the animals are fasinating in their own way and I can't wait to do more with them.

- Angela Liu