A little bit about me

Hey friends – thanks for taking some time to check out my travel blog! My name is Luke and I graduated from NC State University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Zoology and a Minor in Spanish. After graduation, I joined AmeriCorps and worked at the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin, where I focused on animal welfare and public education about conservation until May 2021.

That summer, I participated in research with Field Projects International in the Peruvian Rainforest, studying Emperor Tamarin monkeys alongside ten other primate species. In May 2022, I embarked on a new journey as a full-time hoofstock keeper at the Gulf Breeze Zoo in Pensacola, Florida. This role included caring for and training giraffes as well as managing a diverse array of animals such as rhinos, hippos, zebras, and gazelles.

In October 2022, I returned to the Peruvian Amazon for further Emperor Tamarin research with Field Projects International. During this time, I had the unique opportunity to collaborate with the BBC on a wildlife documentary featuring the same groups I was tracking. The documentary came out February 2025 and can see it here: https://www.nbc.com/the-americas. The part I worked on is located in Episode 4 called “The Amazon”.

After returning from Peru in February 2023, I sought opportunities to diversify my skills. I worked as a full-time veterinary technician in Pensacola, caring for cats and dogs, while also serving as a substitute teacher, primarily for elementary school students. In May 2024, I returned to Peru for 5 months to teach undergraduates how to track monkey groups daily, collect diverse datasets, and use various programs for data entry and analysis.

In January 2025, I served as the Program Leader for the inaugural Vietnam program, conducted in collaboration with the Institute for the Ecology and Conservation of Nature (IECN) at Vinh University. This program aimed to establish a pioneering research assistantship initiative. Participants gathered long-term survey data on amphibian and reptile communities in both natural and disturbed habitats, offering insights into the health and sustainability of the Annamese ecoregion.

Currently, in the summer of 2025, I have returned to Peru to continue mentoring undergraduates and conducting similar fieldwork as I did last summer.

I love to visit new places and I am always seeking to make new memories and meet new people. Life is about connections and the people we come in contact with. Simple as that. Do what you love, be with the people that mean a lot to you, and don’t forget that tomorrow is always unsure. Live a little and enjoy what you have around you!

Go take an adventure!!!

Luke

If you’d like to follow along for future posts… 🙂

Adventure is out there, you just have to go out and find it.

– a world traveler