Kate, Ever, & Julia
Kate Iribarne, Ever Sick, & Julia Hudson (Lead Keepers: 2023-24)
*Original entry Fall, 2023
The inaugural Exotic Animal Husbandry class has debuted at PHS for the 2023/24 school year and the PWM’s first group of Lead Keepers is a Trio of Animal Care Excellence!
Senior Keeper, Julia Hudson, literally grew up on a farm taking care of her family’s menagerie of cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. She has a powerful and palpable love and connection to all types of animals and has formed an especially deep bond with Lance, our Russian legless lizard, and has become his biggest Champion! Julia is an accomplished water athlete (a powerful swimmer and water polo aficionado) and her warm-hearted demeanor and seemingly infinite patience shapes the culture of kindness we strive for here at the Museum; her radiant smile, especially when working with animals, always brightens the room! Julia is looking to attend UC Santa Cruz and is hoping to major in Political Science and minor in French. She’s not sure what she wants to pursue in terms of career pathways, but right now, her priority is having, caring for, and loving as many animals as possible (as it should be).
—-------
Senior Keeper, Ever Sick, is one of the coolest folks you’ll meet at the PWM. They are dedicated to building and bridging a connection between our animal ambassadors and our visitors -especially with younger kids- and their calmness and care with any-and-every animal in the Museum is palpable and contagious. Ever’s work isn’t limited to the animals at the PWM as they also volunteer, concurrently, for professional exotic animal educator, Bonnie Cromwell of Classroom Safari. Ever’s skills are blossoming as a professional keeper under Bonnie’s watch and their experience and understanding of the world of husbandry grows by the day. Ever is a “pros-pro” when it comes to handling our more difficult to handle species at the PWM and they have become an easy and excellent role model for our aspiring keepers in the class. In the theater world, they say, “Never work with kids or animals” but I’d never say never to anything (when it comes to) Ever… After high school, they hope to pursue a double major in Acting and Animal Science and, I promise you, they will succeed on both stage and cage (forgive the pun, Ever… I tried! LOL!).
—-------
Our resident “Invasive Species” from Virginia, Senior Keeper, Kate Iribarne, is a passionate young woman who dedicates almost all her time to the care and welfare of animals. Currently, Kate takes and TAs for both sections of the Exotic Animal Husbandry class, is a docent in the Public Speaking for Environmental Education class, is a 20-hour-per-week kennel assistant at Dairydell Canine Doggie Dude Ranch & Training Center, and runs her own side-business as a personal dog walker & dog sitter; Animals All-Day, Everyday! At the PWM, Kate is one of the primary keepers working with Olive, the sun conure, and our long-tailed chinchillas, Natalia & Abby. However, her animal heart belongs to Vizzini, our Chinese water dragon, and she can often be found walking around the PHS campus with the emerald green saurian in tow. Kate is planning to attend the University of Oregon in the fall of 2024 and major in Zoology and hopes, one day, to work alongside her father at the California Academy of Sciences. Kate is also a phenomenal baker and makes killer cake pops that put the Starbucks variety to shame.
*Original entry Fall, 2023
The inaugural Exotic Animal Husbandry class has debuted at PHS for the 2023/24 school year and the PWM’s first group of Lead Keepers is a Trio of Animal Care Excellence!
Senior Keeper, Julia Hudson, literally grew up on a farm taking care of her family’s menagerie of cows, sheep, goats, and chickens. She has a powerful and palpable love and connection to all types of animals and has formed an especially deep bond with Lance, our Russian legless lizard, and has become his biggest Champion! Julia is an accomplished water athlete (a powerful swimmer and water polo aficionado) and her warm-hearted demeanor and seemingly infinite patience shapes the culture of kindness we strive for here at the Museum; her radiant smile, especially when working with animals, always brightens the room! Julia is looking to attend UC Santa Cruz and is hoping to major in Political Science and minor in French. She’s not sure what she wants to pursue in terms of career pathways, but right now, her priority is having, caring for, and loving as many animals as possible (as it should be).
—-------
Senior Keeper, Ever Sick, is one of the coolest folks you’ll meet at the PWM. They are dedicated to building and bridging a connection between our animal ambassadors and our visitors -especially with younger kids- and their calmness and care with any-and-every animal in the Museum is palpable and contagious. Ever’s work isn’t limited to the animals at the PWM as they also volunteer, concurrently, for professional exotic animal educator, Bonnie Cromwell of Classroom Safari. Ever’s skills are blossoming as a professional keeper under Bonnie’s watch and their experience and understanding of the world of husbandry grows by the day. Ever is a “pros-pro” when it comes to handling our more difficult to handle species at the PWM and they have become an easy and excellent role model for our aspiring keepers in the class. In the theater world, they say, “Never work with kids or animals” but I’d never say never to anything (when it comes to) Ever… After high school, they hope to pursue a double major in Acting and Animal Science and, I promise you, they will succeed on both stage and cage (forgive the pun, Ever… I tried! LOL!).
—-------
Our resident “Invasive Species” from Virginia, Senior Keeper, Kate Iribarne, is a passionate young woman who dedicates almost all her time to the care and welfare of animals. Currently, Kate takes and TAs for both sections of the Exotic Animal Husbandry class, is a docent in the Public Speaking for Environmental Education class, is a 20-hour-per-week kennel assistant at Dairydell Canine Doggie Dude Ranch & Training Center, and runs her own side-business as a personal dog walker & dog sitter; Animals All-Day, Everyday! At the PWM, Kate is one of the primary keepers working with Olive, the sun conure, and our long-tailed chinchillas, Natalia & Abby. However, her animal heart belongs to Vizzini, our Chinese water dragon, and she can often be found walking around the PHS campus with the emerald green saurian in tow. Kate is planning to attend the University of Oregon in the fall of 2024 and major in Zoology and hopes, one day, to work alongside her father at the California Academy of Sciences. Kate is also a phenomenal baker and makes killer cake pops that put the Starbucks variety to shame.
Vita and Kory
Vita Langst & Kory Huppert (Lead Keepers, c/o 2025)
Vita came to Petaluma High School at the beginning of her sophomore year, and we are all the better for it! The only person she knew at the time was PWM alum Hadley Ball, who was constantly telling Vita about the joys of taking museum classes. Vita had attended PWM summer camp and Halloween events and with some familiarity with the program, she decided to take the husbandry class her junior year. In her first year of Exotic Animal Husbandry, Vita showed that not only does she have a deep appreciation for all animals, but she is a dedicated learner and animal activist. When it was time to choose lead keepers for the 2024-2025 school year, Vita was an easy choice to make. She made it her mission to work with every animal at the museum, and is one of the few students who has achieved this monumental task. Vita is also enrolled in the Public Speaking class, where she works with the other docents to create a memorable and educational experience for all who visit the museum.
In addition to her museum experience, Vita also volunteers for the Marine Mammal Center. She began her sophomore year in the youth crew program doing both animal care and education shifts. She has remained an active member of the Sunday night crew, working with elephant seal pups, California sea lions, and Northern and Guadalupe fur seals. There’s no job too gross or challenging for Vita, whether it’s safely tubing and restraining seals or observing necropsies. If there’s a chance to learn and help, Vita is there!
As if she didn’t already have enough going on, Vita is also a talented singer, horseback rider, mom to furry, feathered, and scaly kids, as well as an amazing artist! If you’ve visited the museum and seen the inside of Kiara the Burmese Python’s enclosure, you’ve seen the mural she designed and co-painted. She has certainly left an indelible mark on the PWM.
--------------------
Kory has shown over and over that he is a person with great character and an outstanding work ethic. Kory may have accidentally signed up to be in the museum sophomore year, but he quickly realized it was a community he wanted to be involved in, and has stuck around ever since. If there’s a random task or project to be completed, Kory is the guy for it! Whether he’s volunteering or being voluntold, it will be done to the best of his ability. And considering his extensive background in Ag Mechanics, that’s a pretty high bar. Other students in the museum know that they can go to Kory with any questions or help they might need, and he will do whatever it takes to assist them.
In addition to his time at the museum, Kory also stays very busy with his sports and FFA commitments. He is on the school football and wrestling teams and is an officer (chapter reporter) in the local FFA chapter; he volunteers at FFA fundraisers, attends conferences, and more. He has told me that he likes to stay busy, and that’s certainly true! And while he does have a lot of different responsibilities and tasks, he has shown that he is more than capable of balancing them, while remaining reliable in both his commitments and the quality of his tasks.
When Kory graduates from Petaluma High, he doesn’t know exactly what his path will be, but he knows it will end up in Law Enforcement. We here at the PWM know that whatever he sets his mind to, he will achieve.
Vita came to Petaluma High School at the beginning of her sophomore year, and we are all the better for it! The only person she knew at the time was PWM alum Hadley Ball, who was constantly telling Vita about the joys of taking museum classes. Vita had attended PWM summer camp and Halloween events and with some familiarity with the program, she decided to take the husbandry class her junior year. In her first year of Exotic Animal Husbandry, Vita showed that not only does she have a deep appreciation for all animals, but she is a dedicated learner and animal activist. When it was time to choose lead keepers for the 2024-2025 school year, Vita was an easy choice to make. She made it her mission to work with every animal at the museum, and is one of the few students who has achieved this monumental task. Vita is also enrolled in the Public Speaking class, where she works with the other docents to create a memorable and educational experience for all who visit the museum.
In addition to her museum experience, Vita also volunteers for the Marine Mammal Center. She began her sophomore year in the youth crew program doing both animal care and education shifts. She has remained an active member of the Sunday night crew, working with elephant seal pups, California sea lions, and Northern and Guadalupe fur seals. There’s no job too gross or challenging for Vita, whether it’s safely tubing and restraining seals or observing necropsies. If there’s a chance to learn and help, Vita is there!
As if she didn’t already have enough going on, Vita is also a talented singer, horseback rider, mom to furry, feathered, and scaly kids, as well as an amazing artist! If you’ve visited the museum and seen the inside of Kiara the Burmese Python’s enclosure, you’ve seen the mural she designed and co-painted. She has certainly left an indelible mark on the PWM.
--------------------
Kory has shown over and over that he is a person with great character and an outstanding work ethic. Kory may have accidentally signed up to be in the museum sophomore year, but he quickly realized it was a community he wanted to be involved in, and has stuck around ever since. If there’s a random task or project to be completed, Kory is the guy for it! Whether he’s volunteering or being voluntold, it will be done to the best of his ability. And considering his extensive background in Ag Mechanics, that’s a pretty high bar. Other students in the museum know that they can go to Kory with any questions or help they might need, and he will do whatever it takes to assist them.
In addition to his time at the museum, Kory also stays very busy with his sports and FFA commitments. He is on the school football and wrestling teams and is an officer (chapter reporter) in the local FFA chapter; he volunteers at FFA fundraisers, attends conferences, and more. He has told me that he likes to stay busy, and that’s certainly true! And while he does have a lot of different responsibilities and tasks, he has shown that he is more than capable of balancing them, while remaining reliable in both his commitments and the quality of his tasks.
When Kory graduates from Petaluma High, he doesn’t know exactly what his path will be, but he knows it will end up in Law Enforcement. We here at the PWM know that whatever he sets his mind to, he will achieve.
Siena
Siena Vital (Lead Keeper, c/o 2027)
Since she was a little kid, Siena has known she wants to work with animals. So when she was enrolling in classes for her freshman year at PHS, she made it known that working in the museum as a part of the husbandry class was a priority. Despite being one of the younger students in class, she quickly became someone everyone could rely on and go to for help or advice. At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, it was quickly apparent that even though she was only a sophomore, she deserves the title of lead keeper. Since she was put in this leadership position, she has been a constantly reliable source of information, support, and encouragement to her husbandry classmates.
Siena plans on being a veterinarian or lawyer, with a list of dream schools that include Stanford, UC Davis, The Royal Veterinary College in England, and the Melbourne Veterinary School in Australia. She is someone who knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Even though her passion lies with animals, Siena has many other interests, such as drama, tennis, and track. She also has been dancing for 12 years, and has no plans to stop anytime soon!
While Siena hasn’t enrolled in the docent class (yet!), she loves going to special events where she gets to interact with the public, especially children. It brings her joy to see a little kid’s eyes light up when they get to see and touch these amazing animal ambassadors. If there was only one person to trust with anything in the museum, it would be her. Siena is a valuable part of the museum and we are lucky to have her for another few years!
Since she was a little kid, Siena has known she wants to work with animals. So when she was enrolling in classes for her freshman year at PHS, she made it known that working in the museum as a part of the husbandry class was a priority. Despite being one of the younger students in class, she quickly became someone everyone could rely on and go to for help or advice. At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, it was quickly apparent that even though she was only a sophomore, she deserves the title of lead keeper. Since she was put in this leadership position, she has been a constantly reliable source of information, support, and encouragement to her husbandry classmates.
Siena plans on being a veterinarian or lawyer, with a list of dream schools that include Stanford, UC Davis, The Royal Veterinary College in England, and the Melbourne Veterinary School in Australia. She is someone who knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Even though her passion lies with animals, Siena has many other interests, such as drama, tennis, and track. She also has been dancing for 12 years, and has no plans to stop anytime soon!
While Siena hasn’t enrolled in the docent class (yet!), she loves going to special events where she gets to interact with the public, especially children. It brings her joy to see a little kid’s eyes light up when they get to see and touch these amazing animal ambassadors. If there was only one person to trust with anything in the museum, it would be her. Siena is a valuable part of the museum and we are lucky to have her for another few years!