Katie excels during latest South African adventure
BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation and Ecology graduate Katie Adams is set on a highly specialised career helping to conserve endangered species.
Widely travelled and with experience of working in animal rehabilitation in South Africa and in the UK, she feels that achieving her Reaseheath degree has very much helped to crystallize her career options.
Katie Adams in Africa during her FGASA training
Hoping to specialise in the conservation of big cats and habitats, Katie’s returned to South Africa in January on 6 month training scheme with the Field Guide Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) to gain her level 1 field guide licence. So far she’s achieved 90% and above in a range of modules in her first semester including an introduction to guiding, mammals , reptiles, ecology, taxonomy, tree identification and ethology.
Once she’s completed her initial training Katie will go on to complete a 6 month work placement. From there she intends to combine working as a field guide with conservation research, hoping to concentrate on the Limpopo region of South Africa.
Although she has always wanted to work with animals, Katie, 28, admits she had trouble choosing the right career in a very diverse industry. She completed an apprenticeship in small animal care, but realised that it wasn’t the right path for her.
As she had been out of full time education for a while, Katie prepared for her degree by completing a Access to HE course in biological sciences in her home town of Hull. She proceeded to combine studying for her degree with a job as a supermarket deputy manager.
She says: “I always knew I wanted to work with endangered animals, however in such a competitive industry it can be hard to know how to pursue your dream.
“I left school at 17 and never thought I would go back into education. But with the support of lecturers at Reaseheath, I’ve gained the personal confidence and professional encouragement to develop skills I didn’t know I had. Those skills I will no doubt benefit from for many years to come.
“Despite the hard work needed to complete my degree, it was some of the best years of my life.”