Baldwin
Wallace
alumna
Cheryl
Piropato
'81
has
merged
her
love
of
science
and
communication.
"I
began
my
career
as
a
biologist,
but
soon
realized
that
clear
and
simple
writing
…
can
inform
and
inspire
thousands
to
care
about
the
world
around
them,"
she
said.
Piropato enjoyed a successful career at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo starting as the volunteer manager. With the rise and ubiquity of social media, she became the education and communications director. She is now in a "second act" of her professional life as a consultant.
Piropato retired in 2016 and now runs her own business, Cheryl Piropato & Associates LLC, writing signage about wildlife and exhibit backgrounds for smaller zoos, museums and nonprofits. She also contributes her talents to ZooBorns, a website that features stories about baby animals born in zoos around the world.
Her
favorite
project
to
date
is
working
for
Zoo
Boise
in
Boise,
Idaho.
She
worked
on
a
new
exhibit
modeled
after
the
Gorongosa
National
Park
in
Mozambique
with
over
120
signs.
It
includes
animals
and
features
similar
to
the
park
that
is
being
restored
after
decades
of
civil
war.
She
will
travel
to
the
Gorongosa
National
Park
later
this
year.
Piropato originally wanted to be out in the field. However, she found that speaking and writing could help her reach more people about wildlife and conservation. In addition to her biology and geology double major, she took several communications courses and attributes this to her success and diverse career moves.
Her advice to students is "to think beyond the 'pure' application of your chosen major." By her example, it is clear to see that life will take you to places you never imagined.
