Speaking in public might be one of your greatest fears. And standing in front of a group of visitors at one of Chicago’s most popular attractions? Frightening indeed.
But Genevieve Sevilla loves it.
Genevieve, also known as Gigi, loves to tell visitors to Brookfield Zoo about eels, polar bears and other animals. Her knowledge of and concern for the environment enhances the zoo experience for those who catch her interpretive presentations. She especially connects with zoo visitors who have disabilities. Gigi has a severe communications impairment and is nonverbal, as she has difficulties pronouncing words and assembling sentences. But her desire to connect with others is loud and clear.
Making connections is why Gigi is enjoying her time as one of the Chicago Zoological Society’s King Conservation Science Scholars, which exposes students to wildlife and nature through classes, staff shadowing and volunteer service. Luis Mendez, who supervises the King scholars program, says Gigi is “one of the most consistent, active scholars,” taking advantage of lectures by animal experts, visiting the behind-the-scenes work that goes on at the zoo and volunteering for exhibit interpretation and special events.
Gigi graduated from Elmhurst School District 205’s York High School in May and will continue in the district’s Transition Program this fall, where she will learn life skills until she is 22. Two continuous sources of support will be there for her – her mother, Christine, and her communications device.
Christine Sevilla accompanies Gigi on every visit to the zoo. While she often does not know how people will react to Gigi, one thing Sevilla did know was that the zoo would be open to helping her daughter have a great experience. Mendez, she says, has been the “gatekeeper,” making sure all doors, figuratively and literally, are open to Gigi – and any other scholars that need assistance. Mendez notes that, to Gigi’s peers, she’s just another kid.
Her other constant companion is the assistive device she uses to generate language. It looks like a tablet with many specialized or customized icons. Christine Sevilla explains that it contains the few hundred words and phrases that we use everyday. All Gigi needs to do is select what she wants to “say.” For her interpretive work at the zoo, Christine and Gigi have pre-programmed short paragraphs for each exhibit.
Luis Mendez laughs when he thinks about how fired up Gigi sometimes gets in front of a crowd.
“You can tell that she knows when she’s on,” he says. She’ll give visitors one of her favorite signals – the thumbs up – when she likes how they’re reacting to her presentation.
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The scholars’ volunteer days are long. They’re at the zoo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. rotating between exhibits. It’s exhausting to be in front of crowds and to make your way around the zoo to different stations. In fact, Christine Sevilla has been most amazed at her daughter’s physical and mental stamina. This, she admits, was not something she knew Gigi could do.
She greets her peers with high-fives or gentle bumps on the arm. When she meets you, she’ll shake your hand, but she really wants to hug you. Her arms will go around your shoulders for a few seconds longer than a typical greeting, as if she’s getting a sense of you. All of this is part of how Gigi communicates, and none of it is lost in translation.
And what she is getting from those who support her – from the zoo, her peers, her school, Luis and from her mom – is not lost on Gigi. Christine says that often, as they arrive at the zoo, Gigi will turn to her and say, “Thanks mom.”
“She knows that she gives,” Christine says. “But she also knows that she has been given gifts, too.”
Carol Morency is a freelance report for Pioneer Press.