Bridging the Gap, a unique opportunity!

All Bridging the Gap sites are a bit different. They all have different staff working with the teens, the kids are different, and the sites are different which all plays a role in what your Bridging the Gap experience may be like. I did all of my Bridging the Gap sessions in the Bronx Zoo which gave me a huge advantage, it being the biggest metropolitan zoo in the United States. There was just so much to see every time I would come in for a session. Also the Bronx Zoo has so much history behind it. It was always to fun to see the old photos or documents of the zoo.

Today I went to the archives building and had the opportunity to interview Vanessa who was in the same Bridging the Gap sessions with me. She works in the archives. Basically what she does is organize old files into the computer. Vanessa showed me some of the files, like some magazines and pictures she gets to see on a daily basis. She had expressed to me that being in Bridging the Gap had broadened her knowledge on different animal careers and college choices. She also told me that her view on zoos had drastically changed. At first, she thought zoos was like a prison for animals but being in this program had taught her that zoos do much more than keep animals in cages all day long. Ron, one of the WCS staff that taught here at the Bronx Zoo, had explained that the ideas of zoos have changed over the years, from being all about entertainment to conservation. I also had the chance to talk to Vanessa about some of the awesome features about being in Bridging the Gap at the Bronx Zoo and she said that she loved when the staff would bring in animals for us to see and be near which was something I also really enjoyed. Like me, she also thought the size of the zoo was very important. She also thought that the college boot camp we did was very fun and useful at the same time. All of these things and more make the Bridging the Gap a unique program that can't be taken for granted.

Old Photo of the Bronx Zoo entrance

                                                                                                                   -Nebraas Shahzad