Daniella Retamal
ABC Externship Coordinator

Daniella was born in Chile, but moved to California at the age of two. When she was a little girl, Daniella would find injured animals and care for them until they were well enough to be released, or until she found them a suitable home. Whenever the kids in her neighborhood found a stray or injured animal, Daniella was the first person they would ask for help. Throughout her childhood, and well into her adulthood, Daniella has taken in mice, hamsters, pigeons, ducks, chickens, cats, and dogs. Fortunately, she had a supportive mother who encouraged her love and concern for the well-being of animals.

For as long she can remember, Daniella has always had a passion for helping those in need. In 2001, she graduated from CSUDH with an MA in Clinical Psychology. She has utilized her degree by working in a variety of fields, including career counseling, relationship counseling, and personal issue counseling. However, what Daniella truly wanted to pursue was a career that would allow her to help both humans, and animals.

About 8 years ago, she moved to the Valley and started changing career paths. Daniella began volunteering at the Wildlife Waystation in the Angeles National Forest, as well as at Cat Connection Adoptions in Sherman Oaks, and at Pet Orphans in Van Nuys. She has also worked as both a receptionist and as a Veterinarian Assistant at a few different Veterinary Clinics including an Animal Emergency Hospital. In the time that she spent working as a volunteer and a receptionist, Daniella realized that helping animals was her true passion.

In October of 2008, Daniella joined Animal Behavior College as they were starting up their Veterinary Assistant Program, and became the program’s first Externship Coordinator. She is proud to be a part of the ABC team, and enjoys working with students from all over the United States.

Carol Lee
ABC Externship Coordinator

Although Carol is of Korean descent, she has lived in Los Angeles, California most of her life. Carol has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Minor in Liberal Studies. After graduating, she worked in the education field for many years and also volunteered at local animal shelters. It was during her volunteer time, that Carol realized her true passion was caring for animals. This realization lead Carol to re-direct her focus and career goals toward the veterinary field. Carol now has five years of Veterinary Assistant experience working in both the challenging and exciting world of animal emergency hospitals as well as regular veterinary day practices.

Carol is pictured here with her dog Stoli. She was adopted from the shelter when she was a year old. Stoli is a beautiful shepherd mix, who always seems to have a smile on her face. She is great with other animals and especially with children. Carol’s other companion is her very vocal cat, Smokey, who was also adopted from a shelter when she was a kitten. Her pastimes include sleeping, eating, and working on her vocal range. Smokey never fails in making Carol laugh with her antics. With these two characters around, Carol never has a dull moment.

While Carol truly enjoyed the rewarding career of Veterinary Assisting work, when the opportunity presented itself to work at Animal Behavior College as an Externship Coordinator, she felt it was the best of both worlds. She would be able utilize her formal education and training as well as the Veterinary Assistant skills she developed working in the veterinary industry. Carol is a proud member of the ABC team.