Bria Nichols

Bria works at the Audubon Nature Institute as an Animal Keeper, Ambassador Animals. Bria grew up in Fresno California and knew she wanted to work with animals from a young age. Inspired by her first guinea pig, Coco, she developed a passion for learning about animals that remains to this day.

During high school , Bria also attended The Center for Advanced Research and Technology where she studied environmental science and volunteered at Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation for her end of the year project. She then went on to complete her bachelor’s degree in animal science with an emphasis in Livestock Business Management at Fresno State University. While working on her BS degree, she also held a temporary animal keeper position at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. All this work and dedication has culminated in Bria achieving her childhood dream of obtaining a full-time animal keeper position at the Audubon Nature Institute in Louisiana.

Bria has been an advocate for minority representation for years. While at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, she was a vocal member of the Diversity Committee. She remembers seeing herself in movie and television characters like Maya Dolittle and Trudy Proud. It was empowering for her to see people looked like her in professions working with animals even if they were fictional characters. Now she hopes that she can be a non-fictional example to little girls and boys who will see themselves in her and know that if they love animals - it is possible for them to do it too!