Natalie Russell Yarnal

Growing up, I have always been very passionate about following a path that leads me into living a life that helps me discover my dreams. Throughout elementary and high school I found subjects here and there that I enjoyed, but nothing really sparked my interest to the point that I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Going into college, I thought I would have a sudden aha moment when I would take a few specialized classes and realize what it was I wanted to do for a career. After four years of college I was disappointed to find out that I still hadnt found anything that really stuck with me as something I was passionate enough to do for the rest of my life. After graduating with a degree in Sociology, obtained due to the amount of credits I had built up in that subject, I still found myself lost as to what I wanted for my future. After taking a temp position in the tech department at a pharmaceutical company, I began to think about what I wanted to do next and what would satisfy me in a career. After looking specifically for popular careers for that time period and not having anything jump out at me or spark my interest, I decided to make a list of things that made me feel satisfied and happy. One of the common themes I noticed lingering in what I wrote revolved around animals and nature. These are both things I have always been passionate about, and I knew that if I could take my career to a place where I could work directly in these fields I would find a job that I love and one that would never really feel like work. The discovery of this path would lead me through nearly eight years of different volunteer and job positions, all within the field of animal welfare. Because I did not have a background in animal care or veterinary science, my best plan of action to get in the door to working with animals was through fundraising. It was at this point that I began to build a solid foundation for building passion within others and encouraging them to support the nonprofits that I worked for. This career path also lead me to my current employer, the Phoenix Zoo. It was at this point that my path began to change... Working through the Project Dragonfly Master's program, I was able to discover my ultimate passion: to engage Phoenix Zoo members in conservation.