By Marilyn Olson,
VillagesOKC Executive Director

Carissa Burns, 22, will be a December graduate of Southern Nazarene University with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. As part of her study, she completed a three-month practicum with VillagesOKC, learning about active older adults and the many connection opportunities VillagesOKC provides.
Admittedly reluctant at first, Burns finished the practicum with an enlightened understanding of the realities of positive aging. She said initially she had hoped to work with middle-aged adults, but working with older adults has been rewarding.
“I’ve never worked with just older adults,” Burns said. “Never attended nonprofit events before. Never done any real volunteering. Working with Marilyn and the others has really changed my perception.”
She supported the VillagesOKC team at a Senior LifeSkills Learning workshop and the daylong Positive Aging: Inflammation workshop. In addition, she volunteered to help register and check-in participants at the Second Half Expo, which was attended by 1,675 people and more than 100 exhibitors.
“Our goal was to expose her to as much of the 50+ world as possible,” said Executive Director Marilyn Olson. In addition to supporting team member projects, she was given books to read and videos to watch. Books included Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and The Mindful Body by Ellen J. Langer.
Burns’ goal is to become a clinical therapist after she earns her master’s degree. This was her second practicum. The first was at Bethany High School working with students with learning disabilities.
She said her early reluctance was because she wasn’t sure the practicum at VillagesOKC would give her the experience she needed for her psychology degree. However, after talking with Olson and her practicum advisor Dr. Delilah Joiner Martin, Program Director Family Studies & Gerontology, they came up with plans on how to get her the experience she needed.
“I have learned so much from my time with VillagesOKC. It’s knowledge that I’ll be able to use as I work toward my career goal,” Burns said.
During the practicum, Burns has continued a full course load at SNU, participated with the track team and worked two part-time jobs. She has worked at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club for the past four years. She also works three days a week in the fitness center at Expand Energy, the former Chesapeake Energy.
She is a graduate of Bethany High School and ran track all four years, finishing first in 4A State in the 100 meter sprint and second in the 200 meters. From an athletic family, both her parents are personal trainers. Her dad, Dutch Burns, is a track coach at Southwestern Christian University. Her mother, Denise Penczak Burns, is a personal trainer and Pilates instructor.
Olson said working with Burns has been rewarding and she hopes to continue the connection.
“We love being able to influence and encourage younger adults so they have role models for aging with vitality and purpose,” she said.

Dr. Daniela Yuschenkoff earned American College of Zoological Medicine board certification as zoological medicine specialist.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is proud to announce Dr. Daniela Yuschenkoff is the third member of the Zoo’s veterinary medicine team to earn the prestigious title of Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (DACZM). There are only about 300 board-certified zoological medicine specialists in the world, and Oklahoma now has six.
“We are very excited to welcome Daniela into the American College of Zoological Medicine,” said Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino, the Zoo’s Chief Animal Programs Officer and ACZM vice president. “This distinction is a testament to all of her training and hard work and we are thrilled that we have another Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine™ on the OKC Zoo vet team.”
Associate Veterinarian Yuschenkoff joins D’Agostino and Dr. Gretchen Cole, the Zoo’s Director of Veterinary Services, as diplomates of the ACZM.
“This is the highest level of certification for a zoo veterinarian,” Yuschenkoff said. “As soon as I knew I wanted to be a zoo vet, this has been my ultimate goal.”
It’s an intense certification program requiring years of veterinary schooling, internship, and residency, culminating in a comprehensive two-day exam.
“It’s a very rigorous process,” she said. “It’s been three years of compiling and organizing information, and six weeks of intense study just cramming all that material in my head before the test. It’s been my goal for more than nine years of my veterinary training, and now that I’ve achieved it, I’m very excited to continue growing, learning, and improving for the sake of our animal family.”
Having three ACZM diplomates at the OKC Zoo indicates the Zoo’s animal family is receiving the best possible veterinary care available, Yuschenkoff said.
In addition to exemplary training, being a diplomate also opens doors for communication and collaboration between veterinarians.
“The zoo veterinarian group is a very small community, but it’s a close-knit community,” she said. “When we’re up against a problem we don’t know how to solve, we can reach out to each other, across specialties, to get the help we need to provide the best care possible for the animals at the Zoo.” Yuschenkoff detailed the amount of intense study and training necessary to complete her certification in a blog at www.okczoo.org.
Guests have the opportunity to view animal exams and procedures at the OKC Zoo’s state-of-the-art Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital and watch the Zoo’s expert veterinary care team in action. Scheduled animal exams are posted on the Zoo’s Facebook page and Instagram stories, and are dependent upon animal participation or other emergencies.
Spend the most wonderful time of the year with OKC ZOO SAFARI LIGHTS, open nightly through January 1, 2025. The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. The Zoo will be closed to the public during the daytime on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day as well as Tuesdays and Wednesdays from December 3 through February 5, 2025.
Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.

Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, X, Instagram, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit https://www.okczoo.org.