Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Nikodem
May 12, 2023
This month’s volunteer spotlight is Julia Nikodem! Julia has been volunteering in the Animal Care Department since the summer of 2019, with a total of 1,000+ hours of hard work and dedication to Turtle Bay! Learn more about Julia’s passion for our animals and how her experience as a volunteer has influenced her future career path.
Julia Nikodem, Teen Animal Care Volunteer
Butterfly Breakfast 2021
Julia has always loved visiting Turtle Bay with her family. Since the age of three, Julia has admired all of our incredible ambassadors and feels she has grown up alongside them. Now, Julia is a senior at Shasta High School and gets to fuel her interest in wildlife with the guidance of our animal trainers and staff as a volunteer.
Julia’s favorite part of being an Animal Care Volunteer is handling the animals, especially our Umbrella Cockatoo, Monroe. She also notes the personal skills she has gained through volunteering. “Turtle Bay has really helped me branch out. It’s great to learn social skills and interact with the public. You also get to learn about conservation, horticulture, art… It opens a lot of opportunities.”
After graduating high school in June, Julia plans to obtain her GED and enroll in Shasta College’s Zoology course. We are excited to have Julia work as the Animal Care Intern this summer, where she will participate in many new projects and gain experience working one-on-one with the animals. Thank you Julia for all that you do for Turtle Bay!
Caffeinate for a Cause 2022
Auction 2023