Kamy Pooler ’23

Why UNE

I came to UNE mainly because of the Animal Behavior major itself. It’s only offered at several other schools.

I just like how it’s kind of small, but not too small. Like you know a good majority of people that go here and you see a lot of familiar faces. But, at the same time, it’s big enough where you don’t know everybody. You’re close with the people from your major for the most part but it’s big enough that you don’t see the same people.

The professors are great. They are really easy to build connections with. They have written all of my recommendation letters for my internships.

Experiential learning

One of the greatest things about UNE is the large variety of different experiential learning opportunities.

In many of the classes for my Marine Biology minor I have had the opportunity to go out on the boat, gather data, and even snorkel in the ocean.

Another example is in my Animal Care Technician position at the Marine Science Center. My main duties there are to ensure that the tanks of our lobsters and other sea life are well kept.

You have to do an internship as part of the program so you kind of have to get your foot in the door in some ways. Which is great compared to other schools that don’t require that.

[For my internship], I worked at the Saco River Wildlife Center. It’s a rehabilitation center and I was with rabies vector species — such as raccoons and foxes. It was really fun and I learned a lot.