1. What's your name and where are you from?
My name is Kelly Basil and I am from Long Island, New York.
2. What is your job title and what does your work entail on a daily basis?
I have a couple of titles- I am the Assistant Director of Bodiography Center for Movement, Dancer with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet Company, Adjunct Faculty at La Roche College, and Dance Teacher at The Ellis School. My days can be pretty different from one day to the next, but you can usually find me teaching dance, choreographing, talking with my students or their parents, doing some office work, and dancing!
3. What is your favorite part about the job?
I love dancing, and I feel very lucky to be able to teach and dance all day long! I also love that every day is different from the day before and the day to come.
4. What type of schooling/internships/experiences did you have to have in order to get where you are right now?
I have been dancing for 25 years, and have studied all over the country. In college I studied at North Carolina School of the Arts and received my BA in Dance from UNC Greensboro. I danced professionally with Greensboro Ballet for two years and have been with Bodiography for six years. I also hold a Masters in Health and Physical Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was a Graduate Assistant for the department. I would not have gotten very far without my time studying at each of these places, and each one gave me valuable experiences that I wouldn't have traded for anything.
5. What's your favorite activity to do outside of your professional career?
I cannot stress enough how much I love dancing, but if I had to pick another favorite activity, it would be walking in Frick Park with my husband.
Register for the Bodiography Tour 10.8.11
Past MENTOR: Ashley Kidd Pittsbrgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium 9.10.11
1. What's your name and where are you from?
My names is Ashley Kidd. I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and have moved around a lot since then!
2. What is your job title and what does your work entail on a daily basis?
I am an Aquarist. Aquarists are biologists who take care of all the marine and fresh water animals at the Aquarium. I am part of the the Water's Edge team (an area of the PPG Aquarium). My main focuses are the Sand Tiger Sharks and the Life Support Systems. Every day I dive with the Sand Tiger sharks to clean their exhibit. We feed them, check that they are healthy and keep their water clean.
3. What is your favorite part about the job?
On a daily basis, I get to scuba dive. I love diving and seeing the visitors reactions when we're in the sand tiger shark exhibit. It's great to be able to demonstrate that the sharks are harmless unless provoked and that we get along quite nicely underwater! My favorite part is working on conservation projects and collaborating with other biologists and researchers. I really enjoy my work with ReefBot; that is, an underwater robot who is being taught how to identify fish in the aquarium's big ocean exhibit. Right now it is exciting to see visitors use the robot to explore and learn about the fish in our exhibit, and it encourages them to ask questions about the fish and about the type of research that goes on. We hope that one day a similar robot could be placed in a reef environment and survey the reef's fish population. This could teach us a lot about the reef's health over time.
4. What type of schooling/internships/experiences did you have to have in order to get where you are right now?
Most aquarists have a science degree in a related field or equivalent (Marine Biology, Zoology, Biology), are scuba certified, and completed practical experience through an internship. I received my Bachelors degree in Zoology from the University of Toronto. I started scuba diving when I was twelve and earned my scuba instructors certification during my college years. After I graduated, I completed a semester long internship with the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. I was lucky enough to be hired on as a seasonal staff diver, and then I was offered a part time job that turned into a full time job. There are many eager, qualified candidates out there, but there are only around fifty accredited Aquariums in the North America! You have to be willing to move to where the opportunities are. I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time and have made Pittsburgh my new home!
5. What's your favorite activity to do outside of your professional career?
I love being in the water and traveling to places with great scuba diving! Getting outside is a must! Whether horse riding, hiking, or, if city-bound: discovering Pittsburgh by bike and running through its many neighborhoods.
Past MENTOR: Lacey Volk ModCloth 6.23.11
1. What's your name and where are you from? Lacey Volk, from Pittsburgh!
 2. What is your job title and what does your work entail on a daily basis?
As an Associate Product Manager, I work with the technology team responsible for developing and implementing new site features and tools. On a day to day basis, I do a wide variety of things - working with employees on user issues, gathering requirements for new features, troubleshooting with designers and engineers.
3. What is your favorite part about the job?
I love the variety and I really enjoy being able to creative problem solve almost every day.
4. What type of schooling/internships/experiences did you have to have in order to get where you are right now?
I actually went to college for Fine Art, which doesn't seem very related. But I've always had an interest in design and in technology - my thesis project was a series of prints made with 3D laser scanning technology. I pursued the opportunity to take an entry-level Business Analyst job here at ModCloth after working in our Fulfillment Center as a manager for a few years, because I thought the tech side of the business was really exciting. That position gave me a lot of great experience in the field and led me to where I am today!
5. What's your favorite activity to do outside of your professional career?
I'm an avid knitter and I love to cook!
Tour Your Future is a project of the Girls, Math & Science Partnership.
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Featured past tours:
 American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
 CMU Robotics 2009 / 2010
 Google
 The National Aviary
 Phipps Conservatory 2009 / 2010
 WTAE Action 4
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