Hello, and thank you for visiting Damien.World
My Personal Overview
I am 18 years old, a high school senior in Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S., and have been fascinated by animals since early childhood, especially snakes. I find them fascinating, misunderstood, and far more interesting than most people realize.
I’ve always been curious about how things work and why animals behave as they do. I enjoy asking questions, exploring ideas, and discovering how one answer often leads to more questions.
Science is my favorite subject, particularly zoology, animal behavior, and herpetology. My other interests include art, books, history, mythology, chess, LEGO, video games, and comedy.
I believe learning should extend far beyond the classroom. Knowledge is what I seek.
My Snakes and Scientific Interests
I currently care for a ball python, a corn snake, and a green tree python. I maintain records of their feeding, growth, shedding, environmental conditions, and behavior, using scientific research to guide their care and enrichment.
I enjoy reading scientific papers, particularly those involving animal behavior, reptile welfare, environmental enrichment, and sensory biology. I’ve also had opportunities to communicate with scientists whose research I’ve read.
What fascinates me about science is that knowledge is never complete. New discoveries can support, challenge, or change our understanding.
My interest in snakes and scientific research led me to collect magazines. Comparing publications from different decades revealed how scientific knowledge, husbandry practices, and our understanding of animal behavior have evolved. This gave the collection a greater purpose and helped transform it into a preservation project.
It’s a reciprocal relationship. My curiosity led to the collection, and the collection expanded my curiosity.
My Magazine Preservation Project
Another major interest of mine is collecting and preserving historical magazines about reptiles, animal behavior, and natural history.
My collection includes publications from different countries and decades, including magazines that are no longer published and others that can be difficult to locate today.
What began as acquiring magazines to read specific articles has developed into a preservation project. I research publication histories, identify publishers and editors, document publication dates and issue numbers, and examine how knowledge about reptiles and their care has evolved over time.
I have devoted part of my website to sharing that information and helping preserve the history of these publications. I believe older magazines have value beyond their individual articles. They provide a snapshot of what people knew, believed, questioned, and practiced at a particular time.
For example, issues of Practical Reptile Keeping in my collection show how the discussion of reptile husbandry expanded over time, from basic housing and care to greater consideration of naturalistic environments, animal behavior, learning, and enrichment.
Some magazines contain information that is outdated today. Others contain research and observations that remain valuable. Both are important when studying how knowledge develops.
I hope this collection will become a useful resource for students, researchers, reptile enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the history of herpetology.
Animals and Volunteering
My interest in animals extends beyond reptiles. Over the years, I have cared for or worked with dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, birds, fish, frogs, horses, alpaca and other farm animals.
I volunteered at Hidden Acres Therapeutic Riding Center from September 2023 through May 2025, completing more than 250 hours of service. I fed horses, cleaned stalls and paddocks, weighed hay, and helped maintain the riding paths used by the therapeutic program.
I also spent time participating in animal-care activities at Westmoor Park, where I worked with horses, pigs, goats, chickens, cows, alpacas, and a donkey.
I enjoyed the opportunity to work with such a variety of animals. Each experience gave me something different to observe and learn.
Art, Creativity and other Interests
I have always loved bright colors, unusual combinations, and creative designs. If you look around this website, that probably won’t surprise you! A special shout-out to Ms. Kozlowski, my now-retired middle school art teacher, who encouraged my love of color.
I enjoy creating artwork, some of which has been exhibited at the Mattatuck Museum, Palace Theater, and Silas Bronson Library through school and citywide exhibitions.
My other interests include LEGO, three-dimensional puzzles, chess, model rockets, and vintage video games, especially Nintendo’s Mario and The Legend of Zelda.
I also served as Set Manager for my school’s production of The Wizard of Oz, organizing props and set pieces, assisting with rehearsals, and coordinating scene preparations during live performances. It was an interesting look at what happens behind the scenes.
Books, History and Humor
I love reading, particularly science, natural history, mythology, history, and books exploring social issues.
I’ve especially enjoyed Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson, The Trials of Apollo, and Heroes of Olympus. My interest in Greek mythology and ancient civilizations also connects with my Latin studies.
Two books that made an impression on me are Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, about growing up under apartheid in South Africa, and Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy, examining injustice in the American criminal justice system. Both encouraged me to think more deeply about prejudice, inequality, and justice.
I also enjoy political satire. John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, and others make me laugh while encouraging me to think about current events.
In May 2026, I attended a taping of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in New York City. I sat just feet from his desk. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, because audience members can attend only once.
I appreciate humor that makes people laugh while giving them something to think about.
Newly added update:
I applied to UConn, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program. Wish me luck!
School and Looking Ahead
I am proud of what I have accomplished academically. I have maintained straight A’s throughout middle school and high school, am a member of the National Honor Society, and have received recognition through the College Board National Recognition Program.
I have also participated in school leadership activities and pursued additional coursework in Latin and physics through Brigham Young University Independent Study because those subjects were unavailable at my high school.
As I prepare for college, I plan to study Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I hope to continue learning about animals, especially snakes, and eventually become involved in scientific research and teaching. I want to learn from people who have spent their lives asking questions about the natural world and, someday, contribute something meaningful of my own.
I also will continue developing this website and expanding the magazine preservation project. There is an enormous amount of information worth discovering, documenting, and sharing. I do not know exactly where all of my interests will lead, but I know that I want to keep learning.