SAN DIEGO — As a busy midterm season approaches right before spring break, work opportunities at the Safari Park can mean much more to students than a chance to earn money.
Pending assignments, discussion posts, research essays, midterms; the list of blaring reminders for college students doesn’t stop there. With so many pilling responsibilities, there’s just one other crucial ingredient to add to the boiling pot– money.
Angela Voss, a student and prior Safari Park Employee, worked at Roar & Snore, the Safari Park after-hours campsite experience. In an interview with The Telescope, Voss spoke on her memories as a Safari park employee with an unwavering – and quite infectious – enthusiasm.
Voss explained how every week, each worker would be scheduled for two “on-call” shifts. These were used as security shifts to cover another person in case of an emergency call-off. In other words, if a student had a really busy day with too many assignments piled on, they could call off that same day. A different employee, one who was scheduled for an “on-call” shift that day, would then be called in to cover for them.
Although Voss started off with a $19-an-hour wage, the Safari Park has plenty of opportunities for growth.
“You can work your way up to like the higher paying jobs that make like $20 to like $24 an hour, which is really cool. So you can also do kind of like cross training within your job to get like multiple certifications,” Voss said.
Spending nearly every day of the week going to school and working a part-time job can be especially draining for college students. However, there is no shortage of fun as a Safari Park employee.
Working at the park, Voss and her co-workers received free admission to the San Diego Zoo and the Balboa Park Museums. As college students, an opportunity for cheap thrills doesn’t go unnoticed. Employees can also get discounted prices on admission tickets to the Safari Park and San Diego Zoo for family and friends.
As a prior anthropology major, Voss discovered her passion for animals and science in her experience at the Safari Park. She is now a biology major hoping to pursue more opportunities to work with people and animals alike.
“What stood out to me was how easy the process of applying was,” said first-year student Leahana Corcino. Corcino told The Telescope about her employer’s effective communication at the Safari Park. As a full-time student, Corcino believes the Safari Park managers are understanding of her schedule.
“By Providing job opportunities such as the one for the safari park, students who are looking for work won’t have to stress about looking for a job on top of their schoolwork,” said Corcino.
Almost every college student can relate to the feeling—a new school, different challenges, and then course responsibilities start to pile up. They linger like a dark, angry cloud, ready to unleash a storm. The search for relief is desperate, and surely, a little cash doesn’t hurt.
“I was struggling looking for a place to work, and this was a great business opportunity to help me get on my feet considering it’s hard to pay for certain things,” said student Sophia Phillips. Phillips heard about the opportunity from a flier at a Welcome to Palomar event.
As someone who cannot afford to work full time due to her student responsibilities, Phillips shares her enthusiasm for the workplace where she can enjoy the best of both worlds–earn money, and work with animals.
“They work with my schedule and give a completely fair compensation, plus the discounts are a plus,” said Phillips.
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