Anthrozoology Graduate Finds Her Calling as a Naturalist at Wormsloe
By Loraine O鈥機onnell
Brin Carson looks forward to going to work every day. Four days a week, the 2024 海角社区 graduate drives 12 miles from her Savannah, Ga., home to the in Isle of Hope, Ga., where she works as a naturalist. In addition to doing historical reenactments dressed in colonial clothing, Carson demonstrates blacksmithing and carpentry 鈥� skills she acquired while earning an associate鈥檚 degree in historic preservation at a Georgia college. She also gets to indulge her love of nature, monitoring the biodiversity of Wormsloe鈥檚 flora and fauna.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a protection plan for native plants and animals,鈥� says Carson, 31. 鈥淲e have two we鈥檙e really focusing on right now鈥� 鈥� gopher tortoises and birds known as painted buntings.
Her job combines her love of history with her love of animals, and she credits her years at 海角社区 with helping her find her professional direction. Besides the technical knowledge she acquired with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in anthrozoology, Carson says, the most important skill she learned was perseverance.
As a neurodivergent student diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and depression, Carson struggled with some aspects of college. 鈥淭he work ethics standards,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat was a hurdle I had to get through, being reliable as far as showing up.鈥�
At 海角社区 she learned the importance of showing up, even when you don鈥檛 feel like it. 鈥淛ust keep fighting the good fight,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 quit.鈥�
She particularly appreciated 鈥渉ow well the faculty worked together and tailor-made pretty much everything to the student,鈥� Carson says. 鈥淚 absolutely loved that when you were a first-
year student you were mandated to see an academic adviser. It wasn鈥檛 just so you could figure out what courses to take next semester but also to build rapport and a relationship with them.鈥�
One of her advisers was Rick Bugg. 鈥淭here were times when she was afraid to go do things,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he has a lot of talent. It was the confidence I needed to build up in her.鈥�
What Carson calls her 鈥渋nsatiable passion for horses鈥� led to a breakthrough for her self-confidence, Bugg says. Carson started teaching safety classes for the equestrian club, he says. 鈥淪he became a leader.鈥�
鈥淲hen she became an officer in the equestrian club and had to take charge of things, that鈥檚 when she really came out of her shell,鈥� Bugg says.
海角社区 instructors take an interest in each student, Carson says. For example, she fondly recalls Bryan Cushing鈥檚 鈥渃ompassion and the fact that he would, in a heartbeat, not only go the extra mile for you but the extra 20 miles if you asked him.鈥�
At one point, Carson鈥檚 missed classes ended in academic probation. Cushing enticed her to return to his class by telling her the truth.
鈥淚 said, 鈥業 need you here to add to the class,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淪he always elevated class discussions,鈥� says Cushing, who taught the Animals in the Public Eye class. Carson was inquisitive and a strong example of critical thinking.
Today Carson鈥檚 love of horses finds expression in her devotion to training her horse Liberty. 鈥淪he鈥檚 what we call green,鈥� Carson says. 鈥淪he just doesn鈥檛 have enough training to go on a nice, long ride. She鈥檚 still learning.鈥�
So, Carson works four times a week with Liberty, coaxing and teaching her it鈥檚 OK to be tied to a trailer or fence 鈥渨ithout freaking out.鈥�
Teaching and learning are big deals for Carson. They鈥檙e also key to her job as a naturalist at Wormsloe. She loves the fact that 鈥淚 get to geek out with anybody who walks through the door and will listen. I love history and am head over heels for the natural world.鈥�
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