Life & Work with Noelle Alcorn of Fayetteville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noelle Alcorn.

Hi Noelle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been an animal advocate for many years including working at several zoos across the country and quitting my job on a whim and moving to Namibia (Africa) to work in conservation with pangolins and rhinos! I moved back to the states a few years ago and met a guy. Long story short, he got me into Pokemon. Lost the guy, kept the hobby! I fell in love with rhyhorn because he looks like a rhino. Whenever people would ask me why he’s my favorite I would jump into a story explaining rhinos, their plight, and how we can save them. People said several times I should start a page talking about this comparison, so Who’s That Pokimal was born! Over the last year and a half it has grown into such a fun part of my life. I get to travel the country being a nerd about Pokemon, educate people on tons of animals they’ve never heard of, and hopefully make the world a better place!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was definitely a learning curve to figure out what style of video people wanted to see, trying to figure out editing on my own, and trying to build confidence being in front of the camera. I definitely still have a ways to go, but I feel like I am learning and moving forward every day. I have been lucky enough to meet many creatives in the space who are some of the nicest people I have ever met and have helped give advice and guide me along on the journey so far.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work life is quite eclectic. I started out as a zookeeper, moving around the country to do unpaid internships to prove my passion and worth in the field. I finally landed my dream role at the San Diego Safari Park where I had the priviledge of working with some of the most amazing critters – with my favorites being the rhinos and elephants. While working there I had an opportunity to go to Namibia for 2 weeks to help a partner organization. While there, I fell in LOVE with the country, came home, and put my two weeks notice in at the park and moved back! Did I have a plan? No. Am I happy I did it? ABSOLUTELY! I lived there for several years, building relationships and working with some of the most incredible animals in the world, including pangolins. When covid hit, I moved back to the states and have had a wild array of jobs since: dog walker, airport management, and currently in the tech industry. My passions lie with animals, though, and I do run a small non-profit as a passion project: Conservationists Raising Awareness for Species & Habitats (CRASH – which is what a group of rhinos is called!) while also working on growing my social media presence so I can get back into doing more animal-related work soon!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risk taking is an important part of life. As stated in my previous questions, I quit my job on a whim and moved half way across the world. I would say that is pretty risky. BUT, it worked out the best way possible and I can now say I have stories and experiences most could only dream of.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whosthatpokimal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whosthatpokimal
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelle-alcorn/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhosThatPokimal