
High school students get inside look at Wildlife Biology and Wildlife Rehabilitation at Lees-McRae with Wildlife Science Summer Programs
This two-week camp is targeted toward juniors and seniors in high school who are interested in wildlifeMallory Joyner of Greenville, North Carolina has always been interested in working with animals, but wasn’t always quite sure of the steps she needed to take to get there. When she discovered Lees-McRae at a college fair during her junior year of high school, however, she finally saw a path that could help her reach that goal.
At the college fair Joyner learned about the college’s Wildlife Biology and Wildlife Rehabilitation academic programs, as well as the Wildlife Science Summer Programs. After visiting the college on a campus tour and falling in love, Joyner convinced her mom to send her to the summer program so she could get an inside look at the academic programs she was so interested in.
Now, having completed two weeks of the intensive Wildlife Science Summer program, Joyner, who received her acceptance letter to the college just two days before leaving for the program, feels even more confident about her decision to attend Lees-McRae and study Wildlife Rehabilitation beginning in the Fall 2023 semester. She said having this experience and being exposed to the field of Wildlife Biology before she begins her first day of college classes has reaffirmed her passion for the field and will give her a leg up.
“Getting to experience what I’m going to experience in college and getting some skills before—getting to work with the ambassadors or getting a peek at what lectures are like—and just getting a lot of information from mentors before I’m even here has been a wonderful experience,” Joyner said. “I’ve made a lot of friends. I was really nervous about making friends, but when you’re surrounded by people who are passionate about what you’re passionate about, it’s easy to get along with them, and it’s easy to find connections.”
Building those connections, both with fellow campers and with the mentors, was one of the highlights of the experience for Joyner, especially given that her current mentors are her future peers. Each summer current Wildlife Biology and Wildlife Rehabilitation students undergo a metamorphosis, transforming from students to educators as they take on mentorship roles for the summer program. This two-week summer camp, targeted at high school students with an interest in wildlife biology and rehabilitation, challenges Lees-McRae students to put their own skills to the test as they lead a cohort of young and energetic high school students through what is often their first foray into wildlife biology.
Mentoring at the summer camp is an opportunity for Wildlife Biology and Wildlife Rehabilitation students to further immerse themselves in the field, share their passion with others, and help younger students find their true calling. Several current counselors enrolled at Lees-McRae after attending their own Wildlife Science Summer Program in high school and know first-hand the impact an experience like this can have on students’ goals, dreams, and experiences.
Mollie Bluth of Raleigh, North Carolina is another camper from the 2023 cohort who was changed by her time in the summer program. Bluth said that this experience not only taught her more about Wildlife Biology and strengthened her academic and professional interest in it, but it also showed her new parts of the field that she hadn’t previously considered. After completing both weeks of the program, Bluth said she is now much more interested in the conservational and educational aspects of wildlife biology and rehabilitation and is excited to build upon these new passions in her future academics.
“I was a little nervous that it might not be that welcoming or something, but I was very wrong. I’m very grateful for all the people I’ve met, especially our counselors who are students here,” Bluth said. “They have been beyond helpful, not only in helping us learn, but also in making sure we’re happy, doing things we want to be doing, and having a good time. It has just been a super welcoming and close-knit environment, and I’ll definitely carry these relationships on after the two weeks are over.”
Whether participants in the Wildlife Science Summer programs aspire to be veterinarians or wildlife educators; whether they have already committed to Lees-McRae or are just looking to know more about animals, this program is a valuable way for them to learn more about the field they are interested in—and more about themselves as well.
Get an inside look into the camps with Program Supervisor Shinjini Goswami