Two Ten Scholar Highlight: Zachary Linscott

Zachary Linscott is a freshman at Oregon State University studying zoology. He recently sat down with Two Ten to discuss how his experience as a footwear retail employee helped prepare him for a completely different career.

Transitioning from footwear retail to zoology might seem like an unlikely career path, but for Zachary Linscott, his early career provided unexpectedly valuable preparation for his dream. Reflecting on his early career, Zachary credits the skills and workflow processes he gained during four years at Zappos with helping build the foundation to become a zoo curator.  

"My job at Zappos gave me a good understanding of ‘process’ and how other companies work,” Zachary told Two Ten. “It gave me a lot of direction.” 

Zachary began working at Zappos in 2021 as a retail associate, but his underlying passion was always clear. He knew he wanted to build a career working with animals. 

“I always liked animals, ever since I was a young kid,” said Zachary, who also works with camels at the Louisville Zoo. “I used to watch Animal Planet all the time, Steve Irwin, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, all these other scientists. I just loved hearing their stories and what they did." 

While working at Zappos, Zachary learned about the zoology program at Oregon State University, but knew he’d need to apply for scholarships to help cover the cost. That’s when he heard about the Two Ten Scholarship from his manager at the time. He was at work when he got the news that he had been selected to receive the award. 

“It was like waking up from a dream,” Zachary said of that unforgettable moment. “I needed someone to pinch me.” 

Now in his first year of school studying zoology, Zachary is looking forward to deepening his knowledge of animals in his animal behavior class and later on, through mandated field work. His goal is to become a curator at the Louisville Zoo for mammals. 

"I want to be able to build the enclosures, set up their dietary needs and get the breeding programs in order,” Zachary said. “I just want to make an already good process into a better one." 

But Zachary hasn’t left his time in footwear behind. In fact, he credits his Zappos job with helping turn his dream of working with animals into a reality. 

“If I had never worked in shoes, none of this would have been possible,” Zachary said, offering words of encouragement to other potential Two Ten Scholars and footwear employees. “It doesn't matter what you're doing now, because you can always do something different later. Take what you’ve learned from what you're doing and move it forward.” 

He continued: “Keep learning, keep staying curious and use everything that you've learned from the past to better your future.”