Well, hello, everyone! My name is Grace and I am the newest staff member at CSNW. I recently moved back to Washington from my home state of Ohio and words can’t describe how excited I am to be here.
My first day at CSNW was in 2017 as an intern with the Central Washington University Primate Behavior program, and it didn’t take long for my intern days to become the highlight of my week. I came to CWU after completing a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at The Ohio State University (go Bucks!), where it took me a while to find my niche. While I couldn’t decide on a major, I began work as a seasonal keeper at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. This job presented me the opportunity to work with captive animals and help me discover my passion for great apes. This experience, along with a field school program with Field Projects International in the Peruvian Amazon, had me hooked. During my time at CWU, I studied the effect of sound on the chimpanzees at the Fauna Foundation in Montreal, Canada. As an intern, I lived on site for four months and I still miss hearing the chimpanzees pant-hoot late into the evening.
After graduating from CWU, I decided to continue my graduate education and I moved to York University to pursue a M.A. in Philosophy, as my interests focused on the intersection of captive welfare and ethics. While there, I had the opportunity to spend some time volunteering for Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary north of the city. This was my first time supporting the care of monkeys in sanctuary and I loved it! It gave me the reassurance I needed to know that I was ready to step out of academia and into the world of hands-on caregiving.
I graduated from York right as the pandemic hit and I’m sure my mom would love to tell you about the time I had her drive with me to Toronto and back in eight hours, so I could move my stuff out of my school apartment as the borders were being closed. We made it, though, and I began the search for a career. In the next year and a half I worked a few office jobs, met some amazing people, and got married. When I was offered the opportunity to come back to CSNW, there was no question.
During one of my first days back in Ellensburg, Kelsi told me “Welcome home!“. As someone who struggles to find the right words, this summed up my feelings perfectly. CSNW has always felt like home and I am so thankful to be back.
Honey enjoying the sunshine before the recent surge of winter storms.
