{"id":96700,"date":"2019-05-06T10:18:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T14:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=96700"},"modified":"2019-05-06T10:19:32","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T14:19:32","slug":"ucf-psychology-grad-animal-trainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-psychology-grad-animal-trainer\/","title":{"rendered":"From Porcupines to Pigs, this UCF Psychology Grad Trains Them All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many kids say they want to work with animals when they grow up. But only a small number of them are willing to scrub poop out of animal enclosures to reach that dream.<\/p>\n

Katelyn O\u2019Rourke \u201914<\/strong> was among those willing to do anything. Now the psychology<\/a> alumna\u2019s hard work is paying off with a career that includes hosting an animal-actor show at Universal Orlando and visiting commercial and movie sets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pushed myself to get where I am,\u201d O\u2019Rourke says. \u201cIt\u2019s a hard business to get into, but you can do it if you\u2019re willing to work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up, O\u2019Rourke had a vague idea she wanted to be a veterinarian\u2019s assistant, but she was adamantly against an office job. It was while she was volunteering at a wildlife refuge that she met the man who trained the vultures for the Netflix crime drama Ozark<\/em>. That led to a connection with the animal show at Universal Orlando, but the spotlight would have to wait.<\/p>\n

While enrolled at UCF, O\u2019Rourke was also working full-time cleaning animal enclosures from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Universal If she hustled, O\u2019Rourke could finish early and spend some time helping the trainers get ready for the show. In training animals, O\u2019Rourke leaned on her psychology classes for insights on how the mind works and the effectiveness of conditioning and positive reinforcement.<\/p>\n

Her dedication paid off when she was offered a position in the show. It was a dream come true, she says, but there was a catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no public-speaking experience and zero experience in theater. And now I was getting ready for a show in front of 1,500 people,\u201d O\u2019Rourke says. \u201cIt was pretty terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, O\u2019Rourke leaned on the formula that had brought her this far: dedication and courage. She made it through the first show without too many jokes falling flat or animal mishaps. Then she moved on to the next show and the next. Now four years later, O\u2019Rourke is less focused on nerves and more on improving her stage presence and delivery \u2014 and getting into movies.<\/p>\n