Get Wild Studying Abroad in East Africa

It's not unusual to see Kathryn Coates, Manassas, Va., with a pet bearded dragon, a chinchilla, or even a ball python snake peeking out from her purse. Her fascination with animals has taken her far in her life – as far as East Africa.

Since February, Coates has admired majestic lions, been charged by an elephant and dodged baboons as she studies abroad in Kenya and Tanzania during her Old Dominion University (ODU) spring semester.

Coates said, "I can't believe I went to Ngorongoro Crater, a natural wonder of the world, lived with a Maasai family and camped in Serengeti National Park -- and that was only in one week."

She even studied Swahili to chat with Kimani Primary School children who were intrigued by her digital camera.

Coates graduated from Osbourn High School (OHS) in 2011 with a love for science and sports. Both passions have come in handy as she climbs mountains and hikes in rain storms during her Wildlife Management Studies.

This isn’t the first time Coates has traveled to Africa. After graduating from OHS, she volunteered for elephant behavior studies at Knysna Elephant Park fueling her fire for conservation.

Coates said, “It is easier to conserve wildlife resources if we can readily quantify and appreciate their value to human well-being, especially economically.”

Coates returns to ODU in May as a senior Biology major and Statistics minor. Next adventure, applying to grad school to continue to make a difference in the world.