Author/Illustrator Info:

Aszya Summers (pronounced Asia) has been in the zoo and aquarium field for ten years and has been working with animals in some capacity for over 15 years. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in zoology and environmental studies, she spent time working at aquariums in North and South Carolina and with the International Crane Foundation. Eventually, she moved back home to Wisconsin to work at the Racine Zoo, where she now serves as the Curator of Animal Care and Conservation Education. In this role, she has grown the education department from two to six full-time educators and secured the first, second, and third federal grants received in the Zoo’s history. Aszya received the Rising Star Alumni Award from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies in 2019, and led the team awarded the Top Honors AZA Education Award in 2020 for the Racine Zoo AmeriCorps Program. Her passion is bringing equity and access to environmental education, and she also works extensively with the Advancing Conservation through Empathy (ACE) for Wildlife Network to advance work to increase empathy for animals. She has presented at numerous conferences for zoo, aquarium, and environmental educators around the country. Aszya lives with her snake, Liz, and her lovebird, Sunny.