School Life
Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo
Student Curators
Elias Castro
Coming to Millbrook from New York City, Elias completed a required cycle at the zoo as a IIIrd former and liked it so much he returned full-time the following year. Now a Vth former, he’s back as a curator. Here’s what he shared about his time at the zoo:
1. What’s your favorite animal at the zoo?
"I like the wolves. Last year, I was with them for about a month. What we had to do for them, it was pretty tedious, but I grew to appreciate them. They're animals you don't see often, so I definitely started to appreciate them more as my time got extended with them."
2. What have you learned at the zoo?
"I’ve learned patience. Things will come as they’re supposed to come. I'm really religious, so understanding that God will put the right things in my life when they’re needed is important. And then I’ve learned to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Nothing up here is anything like New York City. So, I’ve learned to adapt to the environment, adapt to the animals, and just take on any role that I'm given because I want to be the most helpful person I can be."
3. What advice do you have for future zoo curators?
"Be open-minded. When you’re assigned an animal that maybe you're not too familiar with or what you’re doing is hard or very long, you just have to be patient; you need to have the ability to go through it. After I do some of my zoo duties, even if it's rough at the end, I feel so relieved and so good because, first, I got through it, but also I had the ability to help an animal. I had the ability to help my community."
