In this issue, we highlight the First Impression of Katie Perzanowski, an environmental analyst in the DEEP's Land and Water Resources Division (LWRD):
It all started with Free Willy. Katie Perzanowski remembers seeing the movie at the age of two or three, and from there she developed a deep love for—some would say obsession with—whales. She even dreamed of a career that involved researching and training whales:
My mom said I would have to move to Florida to work at Sea World, and I didn’t want to leave home. I also got seasick on a deep-sea fishing trip with my dad, which meant I couldn’t work on boats. So I kissed that dream goodbye. Plus, it turns out I wasn’t very good at biology.
Nonetheless, this First Impression would linger, and as she grew up, Katie developed a broader appreciation for nature:
I loved being outside. I loved it when my dad would take me to his cousin’s farm and we’d walk in the woods, and when we’d visit the brook in our backyard. I learned about crabbing and fishing and we’d kayak during summer vacations at Cornfield Point. My dad even bought me my first pink fishing reel.
Katie also developed skills through her middle school years that would qualify her as a Renaissance Woman, or a Pioneer Woman at the very least:
I was practical; I sewed, I gardened. I loved to help my dad pick tomatoes. I did some woodworking. Then I got into high school and lost those cool skills.
High school opened a lot of doors for Katie, and her interests expanded and replaced her practical pursuits:
In high school I got busy with my studies, and I found improv comedy and marching band. I realized I was creative and liked designing and creating things, so I thought about becoming an architect.
Unfortunately, some misinformation about careers in architecture from a friend of a friend dissuaded Katie from pursuing that line of work. She also contemplated becoming a chef, but ultimately, she decided on a career in media:
I attended Sacred Heart University where I majored in media studies so I could design and produce commercials. My professors noticed that I was good in calculus and said I could easily pursue a second major in math.
Somehow through a series of unfortunate circumstances and unsuccessful internships beyond Katie’s control, her primary major switched from media studies to math:
Looking back, it all turned out OK, because the 12 of us in the math program became very close. We studied together, and the math department was very supportive. It was incredibly hard, and I wanted to quit multiple times, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I think my math background is what enabled me to get the jobs I’ve gotten so far!
After graduation, Katie’s “college bestie” encouraged her to follow him into a career teaching math, and Katie enrolled in two graduate classes toward her teaching certification. But it just wasn’t for her. She was still trying to figure out her path.
With a little more time on her hands, Katie started to do more hiking with her dog and was reacquainted with her love of the outdoors. That led to her checking out the DEEP’s website where she found a seasonal position in the Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy to do website-related work:
I always loved being outside with my dog, so I thought, “Why not try to do something with that?” The seasonal jobs were perfect for me, being able to incorporate my media studies background into environmental issues. I did two seasonal stints, one with the Office of Energy Demand where I created the Energize CT renewable energy and energy efficiency resources pages, and the other with the Office of Climate Change where I contributed content to their Facebook page and took meeting minutes for the first iteration of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change. The best part was, I was able to take scientific content and break it down for the general public to understand.
Katie also pursued a path back to a childhood passion:
When I graduated from college, I participated in a beluga whale encounter at Mystic Aquarium. I put on waders and went into the pool with a whale named Juno, gave him a tongue rub, high-fived his fin, and got a kiss from him. It was a childhood dream come true!
Katie had already ruled-out becoming a whale trainer as a career, but during the beluga whale encounter she asked if there was any chance she could get more involved at the aquarium. She was encouraged to volunteer, which would be Katie’s First Step toward environmentalism:
I accepted a volunteer position as a docent, where I spoke to the public on microphone at the various exhibits. I had to learn about the different animals at the aquarium, and I learned about Charlotte, the sea turtle with bubble butt.
Charlotte had been struck by a boat, which partially paralyzed her lower digestive tract and hind flippers. As a result, air accumulated in her hindquarters which caused her to float with her rear-end up, hence the term “bubble butt.” Charlotte came to Mystic from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
The Arctic Coast and Penguin teams at Mystic had also created a Whale and Penguin Enrichment Team, which would provide another opportunity for Katie to participate in her childhood dream:
As part of the enrichment team program, I arrived early in the morning while the trainers prepared for their day. I got to hang out with the whales, play hide-and-seek, dance, and sing funny songs to engage them and change-up their environment. I played peek-a-boo with Juno, and one time I played my ukulele for him, and he bobbed along and danced. I loved that!
Katie’s volunteer experience, and her introduction to Charlotte, opened even more doors. Her intuition told her to look into the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and she learned that they had an AmeriCorps program, an experience she had been toying with but hadn’t quite convinced herself to fully pursue:
An AmeriCorps position had opened-up at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center doing sea turtle husbandry, and I decided to apply. I submitted a letter of recommendation I received from the whale enrichment team at Mystic, and I was selected as a finalist for the position.
At the same time, Katie was offered a full-time position with DEEP’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) as an assistant rate analyst, a job she had applied for months earlier. Katie was torn between pursuing a dream working to save sea turtles or accepting steady employment with a good salary and benefits. Katie’s practicality came flooding back, and she contacted the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to determine her status for the AmeriCorps opportunity. Turns out, they were going to offer the position to someone else, so she accepted the job with PURA. And Katie can thank working for PURA for her Behavior Change:
When I accepted the job, I thought I would work on redesigning the website and other web-related projects, but instead I reviewed dockets about natural gas pipelines. It was important work, but it wasn’t a good fit for me. I wasn’t very happy with the kind of work I was doing, and even my co-workers could tell.
In fact, one colleague’s sage career advice for Katie was that she never become a poker player—or an assassin—because she wore her feelings on her sleeve, but they complimented her on being extremely polite and doing a good job in a position where she clearly wasn’t happy. And, as she did with her double math major, she stuck with it even though it was tough going. Two months later, karma rewarded her:
The lead candidate for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center AmeriCorps position had to withdraw, so they offered the position to me! But I thought, “How can I give up a steady, secure, full-time job and move away from my family and friends to do something I’ve never done before?” Ultimately, I decided to do it, so I wrapped-up my projects at PURA over the following month, packed-up my truck, and moved to Georgia by myself. It was the biggest thing anyone in my family had ever done; we’re all from Connecticut and have all stayed here, so it was a big deal.
Katie settled into her new work doing sea turtle husbandry and helping sick and injured sea turtles as well as other reptiles and birds:
Working with sea turtles was awesome. I loved the hands-on work, I loved being connected with nature, I loved making a difference. Everything about it was fantastic. We rescued a loggerhead sea turtle that suffered a predator attack and half of its front right flipper was missing. The vet had to amputate it, and I did the anesthesia for the sea turtle and monitored its breathing for the two-hour surgery. I essentially breathed for that turtle, and it was so rewarding to know I helped keep an endangered animal alive. That was my big trigger—I love this.
