Sarah is an Animal Studies and Psychology major. Growing up in Florida, she visited the theme parks a lot and her favorite, beside Disney of course, was always Seaworld. Her first memory of wanting to be a Seaworld trainer was when she was about three years old and that dream has not changed at all! The summer before her senior year of high school, Sarah finally saved enough money to go to Seaworld San Antonio's career camp which allowed her to realize she was okay with having to wake up at 4 to prep all of the smelly fish for the day if it meant doing what she loved. After graduating, she hopes to become a trainer at Discovery Cove where she can teach guests about conservation issues while they are in the water with a dolphin. 

Kayla is an Animals Studies major, minoring in Psychology and Leadership Studies. Growing up with 3 cats around the house, and visiting facilities like The Denver Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay she has loved animals from a young age. For multiple summers in high school, Kayla participated in the Zoo, and Vet Careers camps at Busch Gardens allowing her to gain experience working with animals like elephants, tigers, general hoofstock, hippos, rhinos, cheetahs, and many more. This furthered her love for animals, and inspired her to become an advocate for conservation of species. After graduating, she wants to pursue a career in animal care or zoo education and conservation.

Kasey Carr is an Animal Studies major with minors in Marine Science and Spanish. She has grown up always having animals in the house such as dogs, cats, fish, hermit crabs, bearded dragons, and crawfish. She grew up going to New England Aquarium and Mystic Aquarium. Her family also travelled a lot and would stop at aquariums along the way, such as in Virginia and Florida. Living on the beach in Massachusetts, Kasey grew up with a love for marine animals. She went to SeaWorld Camp in Orlando for several summers and that’s when her love for animals grew even greater. After graduating, Kasey hopes to pursue a job in marine rescue and rehabilitation.

Sonny Schoenhoft 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Sonny is a double major in Animal Studies and Psychology. Her love for animals began with her 4 family dogs, foster puppy litters, and as many trips to the Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Shedd aquarium as possible. One of her hands on experiences with animals was as a doggy daycare attendant and shadow trainer’s assistant, this grew her interest in how animals cognitively interact together. Currently, Sonny works at Southeastern Guide Dogs in the Puppy nursery and Puppy kindergarten as a canine care technician and puppy educator. After graduating from Eckerd, Sonny hopes to become an official service dog trainer as well as travel the globe and compare how dogs behave and interact with others differently in contrasting parts of the world.

Aubrey Fisher 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Aubree Fisher is a sophomore at Eckerd College this year and is very excited to be joining the Eckerd College Comparative Psychology Lab! She is majoring in both Environmental and Animal studies with a minor in Anthropology. Aubree is just starting off in this group as a Literature Searcher and hopes to build on the foundations of her future in working with animals. She does not have much previous work experience with animals, but has interacted with them all her life. Having pets growing up, Aubree has always been interested in the lives of non-human animals, inspiring her to be involved in this field. She hopes to gain knowledge about the relationships we have with animals and to be able to educate others about what we can learn from them. 

Olivia Minney

ECCPL Research Assistant

Olivia Minney is a double major in Biology and Animal Studies. She's always been heavily involved with animals growing up, spending time volunteering at shelters and her household pets. Throughout her time at Eckerd, she has found herself drawn to the cognitive side of animal behavior, as well as the influence of environments on social complexity in various species. She hopes to soon pursue a graduate degree in Animal Behavior and one day become a professor conducting research of her own!

Molly Murphy 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Molly is a double major in Animal Studies and Psychology. She is from Kerrville, Texas and has always been around wildlife. Molly has always been passionate about animal care, wanting to gain experience in various settings. She has been curious about animal behavior from a young age, especially regarding mammals. She has done internships at zoos and is hoping to gain even more animal behavior research and management experience before graduating college. Molly is enthusiastic about joining the lab and furthering her career goals.

Taylor Wasco

ECCPL Research Assistant

Hi! I’m Taylor Wasco I’m from Illinois. I am free spirit who loves animals and has hope to work with and study the behavior and cognition of Dolphins! I’m majoring in Animal Studies and minoring in Psychology. I am also the surfboard club leader and a new member of the comparative psychology lab! 

Nancy Strever

ECCPL Research Assistant

Nancy Strever is a sophomore Animal Studies and Biology double major with minors in Marine Science and Coastal Management. Throughout her childhood, Nancy developed a love for travel, the ocean, and animals. This, combined with owning many animals throughout her life, sparked Nancy’s interest in animal research. Throughout her time at Eckerd, Nancy has completed a virtual Zoo Research Fellowship with Lory Park Zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa where she studied the benefits of enrichment, and a Behavioral Research Internship at ZooTampa where she is currently studying correlations between animal behavior and visitor abundance with siamangs. Nancy has a particular interest in sharks and marine animals and she hopes to study their behavior in her career post-graduation. 

Marisa Campbell 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Marisa is double majoring in Marine Science and Animal Studies. Marisa has always felt devoted to animals, and is most passionate about marine megafauna, an interest sparked by visits to Mote Marine Aquarium. Marisa completed an internship with Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, where she helped respond to marine mammals and sea turtle strandings, and completed a research project, Marisa continues to volunteer at Mote, as well as the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab. She hopes to pursue a career in marine animal rescue and rehabilitation, researching anthropogenic impacts on marine wildlife to help promote a sustainable relationship with our oceans. 

Gracie Barrentine

ECCPL Research Assistant

Hi everyone! My name is Gracie Barrentine. I plan on double majoring with Animal Studies and Psychology with a possible minor in theatre. I've always grown up loving animals and I would love to work and train with rehabilitated animals. Marine mammals have a special place in my heart, and I've recently been interested in the conservation of the Northern White Rhinos species. I've volunteered and worked at the Tarpon Springs Aquarium and Clearwater Marine Aquarium and I want to continue learning about conservation efforts and the rehabilitation of animals with focus on marine mammals!

Allison Kenawall

ECCPL Research Assistant

Hi, I am Allison and I am a double major in animal studies and biology. I am from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and animals have always been a large part of my life. I spent four years volunteering at the Pittsburgh National Aviary. I look forward to gaining more research experience from working with the Comparative Psychology Lab, and plan to use these skills in my future career paths. 

Lily Collins 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Lily Collins is a Junior majoring in Animal Studies with minors in Biology and Psychology. She grew up in a suburb close to Chicago, Illinois. Lily is very passionate about marine mammals and loves to visit various aquariums as she travels. Her love for marine mammals grew from learning how to scuba dive at 11 years old and diving in different locations. She wants to work with marine mammals in rehabilitation, conservation, rescue and research!

Jennifer Colucci 

ECCPL Research Assistant

Jennifer is double majoring in Psychology and Animal Studies. Since she was young, she's always had a love for the ocean and sea animals. After visiting several aquariums, zoos, and marine parks, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in marine science research. Jennifer has had the opportunity to work with sharks, dolphins, various birds, Box Turtles, and more! Jennifer is hoping to pursue a career in shark and marine mammal research and conservation.

Lindsay is a sophomore double majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is from Fairfield, Connecticut and has grown up with 3 cats always in the house. Her love for animals began when she would visit the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut and the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut on school trips. One year for her birthday instead of asking for gifts, she asked for money to donate to the Beardsley Zoo. When she presented the money to the zoo director, she was taken back to play with the Ocelot and feed the black bears. Lindsay’s favorite animals are a white rhino and Great Hammerhead sharks. At Eckerd, she is involved with the lab as well as the Anthrozoology club. She went to the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas and assisted with research being conducted by the lab members. She is excited about the opportunities the ECCPL offers. She hopes to become a mammal trainer or an educator about zoos and aquariums to young students in the future.

Olivia Minney is a double major in Biology and Animal Studies with a minor in Chemistry.  Olivia has always loved animals and have dreamed of working with them since she can remember. She is a volunteer at Elmira's Wildlife Sanctuary and cannot wait to start her work in the ASRC! She hopes to do field work studying African megafauna in her career and eventually work her way up to a position in the US Fish and Wildlife Department.

Victoria is a double major in Psychology and Animal Studies at Eckerd. Growing up she was constantly as the zoo as her mom was a zoo keeper at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Her love for animals really started when she visited the Shedd Aquarium with her kindergarten class. She has worked at and completed many of the teen programs at Shedd Aquarium since she was a sophomore in high school. She is now a part of Professor Frick’s Animal Behavior Lab as a Tertiary Level Research Assistant and she couldn’t be more excited. Her favorite animal is the sea turtle and one days she hopes to be a trainer for turtles deemed "non-releasable”. 

Hana is a second year student double majoring in Marine Biology and Animal Studies, with a minor in Spanish. Hana has always loved animals, beginning with her love of dogs and horses. From a very young age, she knew she wanted to grow up and work with dolphins. When Hana began scuba diving her love for the oceans and its life grew, and she knew she wanted to pursue a career in marine science. She is also pursuing animal studies in hopes of integrating both majors to find a career in rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals after graduating from Eckerd. 

Sonny is a double major in Animal Studies and Psychology. Her love for animals began with her 4 family dogs, foster puppy litters, and as many trips to the Brookfield Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Shedd aquarium as possible. One of her hands on experiences with animals was as a doggy daycare attendant and shadow trainer’s assistant, this grew her interest in how animals cognitively interact together. Currently, Sonny works at Southeastern Guide Dogs in the Puppy nursery and Puppy kindergarten as a canine care technician and puppy educator. After graduating from Eckerd, Sonny hopes to become an official service dog trainer as well as travel the globe and compare how dogs behave and interact with others differently in contrasting parts of the world. 

Olivia Felicia is a Sophomore at Eckerd College, double majoring in Animal Studies and Marine Science. She is originally from New Jersey, but she loves her second home in Florida! After college, she hopes to work with a marine wildlife rescue and with rehabilitation. Her favorite animal in the entire world would absolutely be her dog, Guinness, who loves popcorn just as much as she does. She really enjoys learning and working at Eckerd and she is really excited to be a part of the FAB Lab!

Courtney is a Senior at Eckerd, majoring in Animal Studies with minors in Biology and Leadership. She has always loved animals and has dreamed of working with them since she was younger. Courtney has always been interested in the ocean and it's creatures, especially marine mammals and sea turtles. Being scuba certified has given her a chance to get up close to this amazing environment. Her goal is to become a wildlife biologist with a focus on conserving marine species. Courtney is really excited for this opportunity!

Makenna is an Animal Studies major with a minor in Biology. Makenna has a love and passion for all animals, but her favorites include Crocodiles, Bats, Sharks, and many other animals that are often labeled as “scary”! She hopes to someday be on the forefront of their husbandry and conservation education. Makenna also works with the Herpetology Club on campus at Eckerd, conducting research on all sorts of local reptiles, such as the gopher tortoise! Makenna is the lead of the Reptile Enrichment Project.

Madeline Ketner is a Junior at Eckerd College. She is majoring in Animal Studies and Psychology with a minor in Biology. Madeline is passionate about animal behavior and particularly enjoys studying comparative psychology. Her favorite animals are orangutans and elephants! 

Marina is a junior at Eckerd College double majoring in Animal Studies and Environmental Studies with minors in Psychology and Biology. Through traveling, she has had the pleasure to meet some amazing animals and people. She hopes to continue to travel the world and explore the sometimes complicated relationship humans and animals share. Her passion lies in service and she is excited to see what the future holds!

Lily Collins is a first year majoring in Animal Studies with a minor in Biology. She grew up in a suburb close to Chicago, Illinois. Lily is very passionate about marine mammals and loves to visit various aquariums as she travels. Her love for marine mammals grew from learning how to scuba dive at 11 years old and diving in different locations. Her interest for marine mammals, specifically dolphins, strengthened over the summer as she participated in a Teen DolphinLab with Dolphin Research Center. She is very excited to work with this lab and learn more. 

Kayla is a Junior at Eckerd, double majoring in Marine Biology and Animal Studies. Although she grew up in a small town in Indiana, Kayla has always had a deep interest in marine mammal life. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in research or rescue and rehab. 

Tara Wehibe is a first-year student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania that hopes to double major in animal studies and marine biology! She has loved all sorts of animals her whole life, but got her first experiences with training at Dolphin Research Center’s summer camps for the past three years. Here is where she realized that the animal behavior route is perfect for her. After college, she hopes to pursue a career working with all species of animals!

Izabella is a first-year at Eckerd College and is am planning on doubling majoring in Marine Science and Animal Studies as well minoring in Psychology. She is from Englewood, FL. Izabella loves going paddle boarding with her dog. In the future, she wants to work with marine mammals and possibly do marine rescue and rehabilitation. Izabella is excited to be a member of the FAB Lab!

Priscilla is a first year junior at Eckerd College. She is majoring in marine science with hopes of also majoring in animal studies. She is from New York, and came to Florida to start moving towards her dream goal of working with marine wildlife. Priscilla has an open mind, and looks forward to seeing where her interests will take her! She is so excited to have the FAB lab as a part of her journey.

My name is Morgan Frieling. Morgan is from Colorado. She is currently a First-year at Eckerd and looking forward to seeing the possibility’s that FAB lab has. Morgan has been a certified scuba diver since the age of 11 and her favorite animal is a whale shark. 

Hi! Martha is from Lexington, Kentucky, majoring in Animal Studies and Spanish. She hopes to work in rehabilitation and conservation in the future with animal research! 

Kala/Hallie is a Animal Studies and International Journalism double major with a minor in Visual Arts with a focus on Photography. She loves wildlife photography and hopes to help with the conservation of the animals she sees. 

Gracie Barrentine is a double major with Animal Studies and Psychology! Studying animal behavior is a dream of Gracies and she would love to work with animals as a career! Some of her favorite animals are Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, White Rhinos, Aldabra Tortoises, and Horseshoe Crabs!

Manu is a Sophomore with a double major in Biology and Animal Studies and a minor in Human Development. Growing up Manu was fascinated by dolphins and wanted to know everything from their behavior to their anatomy. By volunteering at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and at the Zoologico De Cali in Colombia, she has found a love for otters and many other animals as well. Manu hopes to one day work as a wildlife veterinarian and rehab injured animals and release them back in the wild. 

Madi is a first-year student here at Eckerd college with a double major in Animal Studies and Psychology.  She is originally from southeast Michigan. Madi has always had a natural love for animals, with a special interest in animal cognition,  that began with the cats and dog  she lives with at home.

Sophia is a Sophomore at Eckerd College. She is majoring in Animal Studies and Marine Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. She has loved animals since the day she was born and knew she wanted to specialize in marine animals after visiting  the Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key.  Sophia hopes to one day work on conservation of sea turtles and marine mammals and educate others on its importance. 

Emily is a first-year at Eckerd, double majoring in Psychology and Animal Studies. She has loved animals since before she can remember and they have continued to play a large part in her life. Emily grew up visiting a variety of facilities along the East coast, participating in interactive programs, which led her towards her focus on bottlenose dolphins. After Eckerd, Emily hopes to pursue a career as a marine mammal trainer working with animals under human care!

Aubree Fisher is majoring in both Environmental and Animal studies with a minor in Anthropology. Aubree is just starting off in this group as a Literature Searcher and hopes to build on the foundations of her future in working with animals. She does not have much previous work experience with animals, but has interacted with them all her life. Having pets growing up, Aubree has always been interested in the lives of non-human animals, inspiring her to be involved in this field. She hopes to gain knowledge about the relationships we have with animals and to be able to educate others about what we can learn from them. 

Taylor is a double major in Psychology and Animal Studies. She is from Swansea, Illinois and has grown up surrounded by a ton of furry friends. Taylor knew from a very young age that she wanted to work with animals for the rest of her life. Her love for animals started at the St.Louis Zoo and Grant’s Farm where she would visit multiple times every summer. Throughout high school, she volunteered at her local humane society and helped watch and walk dogs in her neighborhood. She is so excited to start her work in the ASRC! She hopes to eventually pursue a career specializing in animal behavior.

Molly is a double major in Animal Studies and Psychology. She is from Kerrville, Texas and has always been around wildlife. Molly has always been passionate about animal care, wanting to gain experience in various settings. She has been curious about animal behavior from a young age, especially regarding mammals. She looks forward to gaining animal behavior research and management experience. Molly is enthusiastic about joining the CBLab and furthering her career goals. 

Charlotte is a rising senior at Eckerd majoring in Biology with a minor in Anthropology. She grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and is passionate about working with and studying wildlife. Charlotte has interned at various animal shelters, a nature center, and a veterinary clinic. She has always loved apes and monkeys, and hopes to pursue a career in primatology. She is extremely excited to be a part of the Eckerd CBLab and looks forward to the opportunities it will bring! This photo was taken at Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in Thailand where Charlotte was fortunate enough to study elephant husbandry and veterinary care.

Faith is majoring in Marine Science with minors in Animal Studies, Anthropology, and Chemistry. She is from Seymour, Indiana, and has always been passionate about working with animals. Over the years Faith has visited many different zoos and aquariums learning about different roles in animal care. In the future, she hopes to conduct animal behavior research and is especially interested in gorillas and sharks. Faith is excited about this research program and hopes that this opportunity will give her insight into possible career paths.

Meaghan Findley is a first year from St. Louis Missouri. She is planning on majoring in Marine Science with a minor in Animal Studies. She discovered her love of animals through her many pets growing up. Throughout high school, Meaghan participated in a program through the St. Louis Zoo which allowed her to educate visitors about conservation and animals in addition to working hands-on with animals. She volunteered in the St. Louis Zoo insectarium with the extinct partula snails and endangered American burying beetles eventually going on a release trip for the beetles. Meaghan in the future hopes to either work with rehabilitation efforts with marine animals or work in environmental policy.

Reilley McHale is a literary searcher in Professor Krueger’s Exploring Animal Perceptions of Art and Entertainment. Reilley is majoring in Animal Studies and minoring Film Studies.  She is from Concord, North Carolina and has always had a passion for animals of all kinds. She has a deep love for marine animals and hopes to work with them in the future.  She has done many excursions where she interacts with marine species and hopes to do more in the future.

Arlo Kiss plans on majoring in Marine Biology. He is in his first year at Eckerd College. He has loved animals for all his life, and his interest in animal behavior began when he observed the social hierarchy of his Cichlid Tank as a child.. Arlo grew up in Illinois, and after graduation, he hopes to work closely with marine life and help preserve the natural beauty of the environment and the animals who live there.

Julia Bennet is a first year student from Cleveland, Ohio. She plans on majoring in Human Development. She grew up with cats, and her first word was even "kitty." Over her nineteen years of life she has lived with a grand total of eight cats. Most recently, she adopted a kitten named Olivia who will be coming to Eckerd second semester. In the future, she hopes to dedicate energy to helping senior cats find forever homes and dispelling superstitions on black cats.