Jillian Howell

“I was about 3 or 4 years old when I first discovered how much I loved reptiles and amphibians,” sophomore Jillian Howell said. “Growing up, my two older brothers constantly played baseball at Southeast Park. Behind all of the fields, there was a kind of junk yard that had a giant pile of sand and a little pond. Toads and frogs lived there, and every day I would catch a toad or frog and take it home with me in a styrofoam cup. When I got home I would set it free in a big bush in front of my house, and I called it my “toad home.” When my uncle found out I loved them so much, he bought me books about them. That was when I really got into all of the different kinds of frogs and toads. I first owned African Clawed Frogs for a while, and I had a Red-eared Slider that my cousin gave to me. In the fifth grade, my parents bought me a Bearded Dragon, which I named Norbert from Harry Potter. He was definitely my favorite. Since then, I have owned two more and I just recently got a new one. Her name is Sydney, and she is my first girl. I bought her at the Tri-State Reptile Expo from a local breeder. She is an Orange Citrus Tiger Het Hypo and she is about 5 months old. I love reptiles because they are amazing at reading people, and they have extremely soft hearts. It’s hard for some people to see past the scales and the spikes, but underneath I think they understand and appreciate us more than we do ourselves.”