This week has been very exciting! In this blog, I’m going to highlight: my trip to Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, internship on-goings, an Orion update, and Newport Aquarium’s 2020 Announcement!
I had the opportunity along with some amazing Newport Aquarium staff to visit Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to be taken behind the scenes and see what it takes to run a zoo/aquarium and what they do to help conservation efforts. For our first part of the day, we were taken to meet some of their ambassador animals. They were some of the most cutest and amazing animals I’ve ever seen, such as a bearcat, and a baby kangaroo!
Then we were taken to see the lions, tigers, and cougars (almost “Oh My!”). We learned how they are trained the right way and we got to meet the three golden labs that help train some of the them when they are cubs. We also got to see their aquarium as well – so many similarities! They are doing an amazing job at all they do, and have a fantastic facility.
We were also taken behind the scenes of their penguin house, where they took us inside their habitat where all 16 of them walked up to us. When I was distracted and backed up in a corner, one of them went rogue on us, managed to be at eye level with me, and while I was distracted from trying to avoid his poop, he BIT me on the forehead! I knew these guys were pesky, but I didn’t really find out HOW pesky until afterwards.
I was so thankful to be able to go, and had an amazing time!
On to Newport Aquarium’s 2020 Announcement: “Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels”. I am absolutely so excited about this brilliant expansion, because not only does it have interactive elements to it to engage others, but show and theme elements as well to excite and add to that Herschend Family Entertainment magic, which they do so well at. As someone who loves the entertainment/amusement industry, this is a perfect investment and fit for NAQ, as it opens up more space where the former Dangerous and Deadly Gallery was and provides a more magical, brighter atmosphere. I cannot wait for when it opens to the public in Spring/Summer 2020. It was an honor and dream to get to help put on the whole media press event. I even got to shoot along side with Channel 5, 9 and 19!
“We’re always listening to our guests to figure out what new adventures they want in their next visit,” said Newport Aquarium Executive Director, Eric Rose. “To be able to create an artificial reef teeming with ocean life, thriving in a sunken ship is really going to wow them. But it’s not just the fun of this environment that we get excited about, it’s also the chance to teach visitors about the value of artificial reefs and ocean conservation.”
Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels will feature five zones, each with its own unique ship elements and animals to discover: the Captain’s Quarters, the Treasure Chest, the Cargo Hold, the Ship’s Anchor, and the Ropes and Rigging. Learn more about Shipwreck: Realm of the Eels here.
Here’s a shameless plug while I’m at it: For a limited time only, when you purchase any 3 Annual Passes, you’ll receive a fourth pass for FREE at Newport Aquarium. Annual Passholders will also be among the first to experience the untold treasures of Shipwreck as well. More details here.
Orion has been topped off! What this means is that the tallest piece of the track has been put into place, which now makes the break run all the way to the bottom of the first drop is now completed. The track was put into place Wednesday afternoon.
Picture 1 provided by Kings Island, 2 by WCPO Channel 9
My favorite aspect of this is how cool Orion looks next to Diamondback, tag-teaming the Kings Island skyline.
To close this week’s blog, looking back I’ve had an amazing internship. So much so I got to present my internship at Northern Kentucky University’s Griffin Fest, a “reverse career fair”, and won the Business Choice Award along with $300. That was something very honoring that made me feel great about myself, because I’ve always had doubts from the start. Through this internship, I know that I am exactly where I want to be in my professional career. The internship have given me so many great opportunities and experiences. For example, just last night I got to help with a commercial shoot for St. Elizabeth Hospital in the bitter cold (but still fun and good experience)!
I had actually just joined PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) the other night, and am already gaining connections and wanting to get involved with NKU’s Chapter. I really hope to be a Social Media specialist someday, hence why I chose EMB as a minor and PR as a major, so I could market myself as someone can do social media AND knows how to create their own content as well. I love making videos and photography, but it they all play just a part in social media content creating, which is what I really want to do in life. In these last few weeks of my internship, I really hope to learn more about social media content and what it takes to run one or more accounts. Hopefully we’ll have time, because SCUBA SANTA his swimming his way towards NAQ!
Thomas Kyle Creative 