Students
Students
Hailey Sangillo is Another Step Closer to Her Dream Career After Interning at Save The Bay
Some people know from a young age what they want to spend their life doing, and Hailey Sangillo ’27 is one of them. Some of the Connecticut native’s fondest childhood memories are of visiting the Mystic Aquarium. While Sangillo is particularly interested in marine creatures, she has always loved all animals and has long known she wanted to work in a zoological field. Sangillo even takes advantage of Johnson & Wales University’s pet-friendly residence halls — her German Shorthaired Pointer, Goose, currently lives with her on campus.
When she is not hanging out with Goose or working as a CAT student ambassador this summer, Sangillo can be found working as an aquarium education intern for Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium in Newport, Rhode Island. As a part of her Animal Science degree at JWU, Sangillo must complete two separate internships related to her major, and her time at Save The Bay is her first. So far, it has been an incredibly positive experience for Sangillo. “It’s been really fun. Being able to gain that hands-on experience to put on my resume has been really valuable and important,” she says.
The Flexibility of an Animal Science Degree
Given Sangillo’s love for marine animals, marine biology may sound like the ideal major for her. However, Sangillo wanted to pursue a degree with a little bit more flexibility so she could work with many animals, not just those in the sea. That is why she chose to enroll in JWU’s Animal Science program, which grounds students in all facets of animal-focused industries and services. From veterinary medicine to food and fiber production, students gain the ability to explore many different career possibilities within animal industries.
“Animal Science has given me more of a generalized field to work in and explore certain career paths and figure out what I do and don’t want to do, so having the option to work in an aquarium and get that aquatic marine life experience has been amazing. It really has solidified that that is probably something I want to pursue in the future,” states Sangillo.
Although she is only halfway through the coursework for her degree, Sangillo says that the classes she has taken at JWU so far have prepared her well for her work at Save The Bay. Most notably, Sangillo’s Coastal Ecology class was really important, as it was the reason she was made aware of Save The Bay. With that class, Sangillo went on a boat tour of Save The Bay’s Providence Bay location, right by the Harborside Campus. Not only did she gain hands-on experience in water analysis and clarity testing, but she also became connected to folks at Save The Bay, which motivated her to apply for an intern position. “Now I’m able to work with them because I was able to build that connection just from going out on the water,” explains Sangillo.
Sangillo’s Work at Save The Bay
“Save The Bay works to protect animals in the Narragansett Bay with the goal of rebuilding and restoring habitats in our area and educating people on why it’s important to respect our environment,” says Sangillo. The organization completes a variety of projects related to marine sustainability and enrichment, like the breeding of sharks, skates and seahorses, which are then released into the wild.
Three days a week, Sangillo travels from JWU’s Downcity Campus to Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium in Newport. She starts her day off by setting up the aquarium, and throughout the day, she rotates between monitoring and talking to guests about the creatures in the aquarium’s touch tanks, gallery tanks and the kids’ zone. Sangillo’s primary responsibilities consist of teaching visitors about the work Save The Bay does as well as how we can all help create a more sustainable future for aquatic life.
All of the species at the aquarium are native to Rhode Island, so giving the local community a solid understanding of what they can do to mitigate extinction is crucial. “We talk about how these animals are right in our water and how we can protect them, what’s threatening them, and how we can make a difference,” Sangillo explains.
Beyond her time as an aquarium educator, Sangillo and the other interns she works with have designated “office time” as well as “classroom time.” During office time, Sangillo works on various projects relating to the aquarium that are assigned to her. Most recently, she has been working on creating “All About Me” informational pages for each resident at the aquarium. During classroom time, Sangillo has the opportunity to study resources to educate herself on the animals at Save The Bay and in the area.
Ironically, there is a lot more to the internship than animals. Sangillo says, “A lot of times, when you’re working with these animals, you’re working with people too.” While she does get a lot of access to the animals at the aquarium, she says her time as an educator has helped build her networking skills. Sangillo works with many interns who attend other schools in Rhode Island, so she has gained numerous future industry connections.
A Bright Future Ahead
Sangillo has enjoyed her time at Save The Bay so much that she hopes to complete her second internship there if she can. If not, she still plans on sticking around. “I will probably continue to volunteer there because I do really enjoy the space, the people and what they’re all about,” she explains.
Looking beyond graduation, Sangillo hopes to get a master's degree in Animal Behavior and become behaviorist-certified. She wants to be an animal behaviorist so she can work with and train different kinds of marine animals. Ultimately, Sangillo dreams of working with the beluga whales she grew up visiting at Mystic Aquarium. Thanks to her time at JWU and at Save The Bay, Sangillo is on the path there.
