It’s my first time handling the Rainbow Boa and I am visibly shaking as I open up the cooler holding the snake, Prism. I gently rub her back, letting her know I’m there, before pulling her up into my arms. I turn towards the kids' patiently waiting, and suddenly all my nerves evaporate. They are all so excited to learn about the iridescent snake in my hands and I see my younger self in them. I walk around to show her off and begin my prepared speech. Throughout my teens I spent 554 hours volunteering at the Cincinnati Zoo. Although animal handling was one of my favorite jobs, it was just one of the many roles I had. As a ZooTeen, my main duty was to educate visitors. I would stand next to one of the many exhibits and answer a range of questions from the animals’ names to where the bathroom was. That being said, I always tried to turn the conversation towards conservation. Teaching them about the animals would make their visit while learning about conservation could change their habits. I wasn’t only preaching about conservation but also actively participating in efforts with community clean ups, seed drives, park restoration, waste sorting, and more. It didn’t stop there either. I got hands-on experience with certain animals, learning how to handle and care for them. I was able to go behind the scenes of the zoo and see the work that the keepers do. I helped make enrichment for the animals. Last year, I even had the opportunity to travel to Mexico to help with community science on Whale Sharks. It was a surreal experience that taught me a lot, including what animal welfare is. To define, animal welfare is the well-being and protection of animals. This spans over animals in captivity to those in the wild. For that reason, welfare is always intertwined with conservation efforts. It helps animals in zoos, those facing hardships in the wild, protects from testing, and so much more. Protection and the preservation of animals and nature is what conservation is. These two things, conservation and animal welfare, go hand in hand. Looking back, all my work at the zoo seemed to bring together these values. Learning how to care for an animal goes deeper than just how to handle it. It includes learning everything about it. Once you get to the point you are truly caring for an animal. Then you are also partaking in conservation as you are protecting and preserving the species even if it is just one individual. This outlook has shown me what I want to do with my life. I decided to study Marine Sciences after my study abroad in Mexico. I hope to go into conservation efforts. My specific goal is to do Sea Turtle rescue and rehabilitation. In my school’s area of South Carolina, there is no close Turtle hospital, as of right now. A few people are working to start one and I hope to be a part of that once I finish school. I want to make a difference and use what I learned at the zoo. As I start this new chapter at college, I look back on my fears of holding the Rainbow Boa the first time. It really was the fear of doing something I had never done before but I have since conquered that fear. I now know that doing those scary things, going out of your comfort zone, is how you change the world.