Aidan Zaza

he/him
High School Apprentice
Forest Biodiversity Team

How might this summer inform your future work?

I don’t know if I particularly want to work on forest censusing or forest ecology down the road, but in my mind, any experience with this kind of thing can be valuable. It’s been good to learn more beyond the animal zone, because I’m an animal guy. Outside of mammals and birds, I didn’t know much. But now I can identify some native trees, some plants that I didn’t know the name of before. Forest biodiversity is super interesting and I’m a huge fan of ecology in general. So even if I don’t choose this particular career, this is still a valuable and unique experience, one that it’s important for me to have.

Aidan is known for having a particular affinity for penguins.

It started when I was little. My sister used to have little animal toys and figurines. I don’t remember if she just didn’t want it, but she gave me a penguin. His name was Dewey and he had two broken feet — one of them was missing. I still have him. And then from there, I just got really attached. I started reading and watching everything penguin-related you could think of. I watched Happy Feet and March of the Penguins a lot. As I got older, I was like, okay, these birds are really fascinating. And I have some good connections with the penguin staff at the zoo. So yeah, I’m really into them. Not to flatter myself, but I think I know more about penguins that anyone else I know. [Aidan laughs.]

What has surprised you about this summer? What did you not expect?

In all honesty, I’m surprised that I like it as much as I do. I wasn’t expecting to dislike it, but I also wasn’t expecting to really, really, really like it here. I thought I’d be intimidated by all the professionals and undergraduates, but honestly, it’s a really nice and refreshing environment compared to school, where I feel less involved. Here I’m involved and welcomed at the same time, which I think is really valuable.

What activities or moments have made you feel most connected to the Tyson community?

The small interactions have been the most impactful for me in the long run. Because the big things, like the censusing, the seed sorting, those are things that we know we’re gonna do. But when you have a conversation with someone, it’s just really refreshing to talk about similar interests, and you can make someone’s day. It can be something small — a little laugh, a nice comment, or when they just acknowledge your presence. I think that’s been really important for community connection altogether.

How do you stay motivated?

I think I’m motivated by my determination to show how important this is to me. I have moments where I’m out there, and I’m like, oh, I could really go for a nap right now. But then I’m like, I can nap later. I only get to do this so many times. There’s only so many opportunities to be involved in a community like this, one that’s so environmentally intertwined, and I won’t be surprised if I don’t find another place like this for years. So it’s really rare, and I need to cherish it while I have it. That always puts me in my place — enjoy now and you can rest later.