Laura Kohn graduated from Iowa State five years ago, but she has already become the only interpreter and outdoor learning center coordinator in North Dakota who also serves as an assistant manager at a state park.

Kohn, a 2006 ISU graduate in zoology and animal ecology, currently works at North Dakota’s Cross Ranch State Park. At the state park, Kohn serves as both the interpreter and outdoor learning center coordinator and the assistant manager.

“I wear many hats,” she said.

As an interpreter and learning center coordinator, Kohn offers hands-on activities for school groups and other groups that venture to Cross Ranch State Park, she said. She explained that she also is in charge of teaching other interpreters.

“I’m in charge of statewide interpretation. There are only two more people in North Dakota who have the same job as I do,” Kohn said. “We train seasonal interpreters. We give them resources to do environmental education.”

In addition to serving as an interpreter and learning center coordinator, Kohn is also the assistant manager at Cross Ranch State Park. As the assistant manager, Kohn is in charge of checking campers in, changing reservations and various other tasks, she said.

“I do a lot of supervising,” Kohn said. “I also run park if the manager is absent.”

Kohn said she became interested in working with animals because she grew up on a dairy farm. She explained she was especially interested in watching a veterinarian treat farm animals.

“I was always curious when the vet would come over. I became interested in how animals function since I got to watch all of that,” Kohn said. “I was interested in learning about anatomy and physiology. I wanted to be able to study animals and learn about how they function.”

Kohn said her interests led her to choose zoology for a major. She said she decided to attend Iowa State because it was one of the few nearby colleges she found that offered zoology as a major.

While in college, Kohn became interested in animal ecology, she said.

“I wanted to learn about where they lived — that interrelationship between how they function and where they live,” Kohn said.

Kohn explained that when she was younger she was somewhat interested in becoming a vet. However, Kohn became more interested in wildlife rehabilitation.

“I didn’t necessarily want to be a vet. I wanted that knowledge, but I wanted to be outdoors,” she said. “I wanted to move into the wildlife aspect of it.”

Kohn learned about wildlife rehabilitation after volunteering at the Wildlife Care Clinic, she said. She explained that she found an internship while in college at HawkWatch International in Salt Lake City, Utah.

After interning at HawkWatch International, Kohn then began working at Cross Ranch State Park to do conservation programs, she said. She eventually went back to working for HawkWatch International before accepting her current position.

“Taken a long curvy road to get to what I’m doing,” she said.

In the future, Kohn said she plans to return to Iowa and work in a similar position as she currently holds. She said there is not enough interest and support for science education in North Dakota.

“[My job] is hard to do because there’s no interest up here,” Kohn said. “It’s not advantageous for me to stay here.”

Kohn said interest in Iowa varies from county to county and she hopes to find a job in a county that supports science and wildlife.

For current ISU students, Kohn recommends taking as many opportunities as you can get. She also said that students should evaluate their career aspirations and be flexible with where their careers will take them.

“Figure out what you want to do or what you think you want to do,” Kohn said. “Then be willing to go wherever.”