What Can’t Be Taken Away: Why I Never Gave Up on My Profession

By: Grayson Ponti
Conservation Interpreter, Dallas Zoo; & Advisor, Diversity Committee, Association of Zoos and Aquariums

While this time last year was one filled with uncertainty and anxiety, about a year ago today I explicitly told Courtney, my new fiancé, “No matter what, I need to continue working in zoos. This is where I’m meant to be and I cannot imagine doing anything else. This isn’t a career, it’s a lifestyle, and that can’t be taken away from me.” She supported me wholeheartedly.

While I still am blessed to have an amazing job at the Dallas Zoo, what I’ve learned in the past year is way more important than my employment status. I learned that we all have innate gifts and qualities that cannot be taken away from us and that, if we are sensitive to them and embrace them, we can use them to help us thrive. Some examples:

1. I absolutely love the zoo world and everything I’ve done in it. There’s no doubt in my mind that no field is better suited to advocate for animals and lead a social movement for making the world a better place for all living things. I’m so inspired by the exponential growth of the zoo field over time, especially the past 40-50 years, and simultaneously think our potential is still far from being fulfilled. Besides their mission, zoos are important parts of communities and enrich peoples’ lives. My belief in the mission of zoos and aquariums and calling to support it is so strong it feels spiritual. I don’t see anything, not even a pandemic, changing that drive to be part of the movement that zoos are leading to help save the world.

2. I absolutely love zoo people. They’re among the most compassionate, brilliant, and dedicated people out there. I relish learning from them and am honored to call many of them dear friends. We’re a family, determined to use our collective talents to save the world, and that can never change no matter who works where. I have so much more to learn from them and won’t stop. 

3. While I adore animals, what gives me the most joy is helping leverage human assets and behavior to make a difference for wildlife. No matter what, I’m going to find ways to do that.

4. I have a strong desire to learn everything there is about our profession. I can tell you with utmost confidence I’m going to continue reading and analyzing everything I can with the word zoo and aquarium in them until my funeral!

5. I constantly analyze myself and try to figure out how I can be the best professional and person possible. My goal is to become a leader and, while I am not there yet, I have my career in front of me and will always find opportunities to grow and gain feedback.

This isn’t just true of me; everyone has gifts and wonderful qualities that are part of their identity and cannot be taken away from them no matter what. Another thing I’ve learned in the past year is the way I evaluate how a leader has changed. I used to think of it primarily as what someone has accomplished and the things that look prestigious on their resume. Seeing how the leaders I admire supported their teams and led their organizations through the pandemic made a light switch go off: a great leader is someone with the soft skills to take care of the people they serve, remind them of what cannot be taken away from them, and provide them opportunities to use their individual attributes to take the organization to the next level. While I still have lots to learn and experience, I now have a much better understanding of the leader I want to be and am excited to nurture my self-awareness and emotional intelligence to be the best I can be.

While this last year and a half wasn’t easy for anyone, it has honestly been the absolute best of my professional and personal life and I’ve loved what I’ve done every single day. As much as I love my job and the person I am, how I’m going to use my innate qualities to make the world a better place and what I’m driven to do to make a difference is so much more important. I’m so privileged to be in the perfect profession for being the person I want to be and want to help others gain the same realization.