Dalon's Success Story: How Internships Open Doors and Create New Opportunities

Dalon Moore loves animals and nature. "Something awoke in me,” said Moore, describing what happened when he walked along the Runyon Creek Trail that runs through the UNT Dallas campus.

On that day, as a sophomore, he took note of the trees, colors, snakes, turtles and footprints of other creatures. "It felt clearer that day,” he explained about his emerging passion.

The experience prompted Moore, 20, to switch majors from business to biology. When he enrolled at UNT Dallas, business seemed like the next step in a path he had established at a young age. Moore graduated high school from the Marvin E. Robinson School of Business and Management, part of the the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center in Dallas.

Watch Dalon Moore Talk About the Value of His Internship In His Own Words

Moore’s passion, now unleashed, eventually led to an internship, followed by a paid position at the Dallas Zoo, where he works part-time as a  Conservation Interpreter. In this role, Moore interacts with visitors, discussing animal populations, threats to extinction, and conservation of natural resources.

How perfect to get paid for doing what you enjoy. “It sugarcoated the world,” Moore said. He was hired for the position after completing an internship with similar responsibilities.

“I thought it was an elite thing,” Moore said, referring to internships. Coworkers at his previous retail job convinced him otherwise. They impressed upon him the benefits and advantages of internships, including a valuable foot in the door of businesses or organizations connected to one’s career interests.

A survey of 2024 college graduates by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reinforced the value of internships. More than two-thirds (67%) of graduating seniors said they took part in at least one internship; of those, 57% were paid. Overall, 80% of students were satisfied with their internship experience, and nearly two-thirds (64%) said they were at least somewhat likely to accept a full-time position with their experiential learning employer if offered.

Moore applied for the Dallas Zoo internship after meeting with Eronia King in the UNT Dallas Office of Experiential Learning. “It was the only one that fit,” he said.

It sure did. Eight months later, the zoo hired Moore. He works about 28 hours a week during the summer break. His time as an intern “showed how much I learned and how much more passionate I became,” said Moore.

His favorite part of the job is “putting smiles on people’s faces,” he said. They complement him, hug him, give them their business cards, and even pray for him.  

Among the attributes that make him popular and successful, Moore said his zoo supervisor would describe him as “committed, joyful, well-spoken, passionate, positive” and someone who “sees the bright side.”

As he prepares to take the next step in his educational journey this fall, Moore has decided to transfer to our sister institution, the University of North Texas, in Denton, where he has enrolled in their ecology program. He will live on campus, a much greater distance from his family’s home in Lancaster, which is only a few minutes away from UNT Dallas.

“It was close to home and affordable,” Moore said about his original choice of UNT Dallas. Back then, just finishing high school, he was intimidated and wanted to stay close to home. Now, Moore is ready to spread his wings.

With his interest in wildlife, ecology, and environmentalism strong and growing, Moore eventually wants to explore career options beyond the zoo. He wants to find an opportunity to do field research. One of his goals is to “make a more sustainable planet,” he said.

Judging by his accomplishments so far, Moore is well on his way to doing just that.