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Pursuing a Dream Career

Learn how one student's research led to a summer internship at the Miami Seaquarium

Student smiling

"I've been passionate about marine life for as long as I can remember, but Roanoke has pushed me in the right direction to find a job doing what I love," says Heather Duvall. 

 Student and professor working in a forest Student taking notes

Visiting the local Mill Mountain Zoo with her Animal Behavior class led to Heather's research on otters. "I'm interested in seeing how play and enrichment affects the otters' social behaviors."

Student conducting research by a creek

Heather's work helped her get a summer internship at Miami Seaquarium, where she cared for and trained bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, Pacific harbor seals and West Indian manatees.

Student working at Miami Seaquarium internship taking photo with a dolphin Student feeding a sealion

Post-Roanoke, she plans to move to San Diego, where opportunities to work with marine life are abundant. "I'm hoping for a job with the Navy's marine mammal training department or at Sea World doing research, marine mammal training or both," she says.


Student holding a sealion in the water


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