THOMASVILLE- Former Thomasville Scholars Academy teacher Dale Kelly was excited to reunite with her former students this summer, when they joined her to work at Yellowstone National Park.

Currently, Patrick McNeil and Carson Cochran are working at the historic 3,500 square-mile wilderness recreation area. Prior to their stay, students Max Nicholson, Brewer Anderson and Spear Celaya spent the summer there, all thanks to a suggestion from Kelly.

“When I was a college student, I applied to every National Park out west and Yellowstone was the first park to respond,” Kelly said.

Since that original summer in Yellowstone, Kelly has devoted her time to encouraging others to experience the magic of Yellowstone National Park and worked to make sure everyone’s stay is comfortable.

Kelly was originally brought on to work in Human Resources as a recruiter for their Lake Yellowstone Hotel property. After working there from 1977-1979, she returned to Georgia to get her Master’s Degree in Business.

Years later, Kelly revisited her roots and was named Hotel Manager of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel.

Finding joy in the park and the numerous shared experiences she had with guests and fellow nature-lovers, Kelly felt a calling to encourage others to work at Yellowstone.

She returned to her hometown of Thomasville and began teaching at Thomasville Scholars Academy as an AP Human Geography teacher and often recounted her tales to the class.

Kelly’s countless stories sparked an interest in one particular student, who would later convince his friends to work at Yellowstone.

Celaya said he first visited Yellowstone National Park when he was 10 years old with his family.

“I loved it,” he recalled. “I was so fascinated with the nature and the animals.”

Years later, as he sat and listened to Kelly, Celaya’s interest in Yellowstone was sparked again.

After applying to work at Yellowstone that summer, he, Nicholson and Anderson embarked on a cross-country road trip to begin what would become one of their favorite summers to date.

Celaya was tasked with serving employees lunch, while his friends served in other areas of the park such as the Old Faithful Inn Restaurant.

However, Celaya said the job didn’t really matter; he was just glad to be there.

“We worked on a 5-day on, 2-day off schedule,” he explained.

On their days off, Celaya and his friends visited Yellowstone Canyon and Fairy Falls. Additionally, once a month the trio would hike to a spot on the river, hang a hammock and enjoy the day with other friends they had made throughout their time.

“The guys we met out there are still our friends to this day,” Celaya said. “We speak to them almost daily.”

With new friendships formed and views unlike any other, Celaya said he encourages anyone interested to apply with Xanterra Travel Collection.

“Do it 100 percent,” he said. “It’s life-changing. I wish I could go back.”

Kelly couldn’t agree more, stating how much she wished everyone could experience the beauty of Yellowstone National Park.

The applications for next summer’s park jobs will not open until January. However, Kelly will spend the winter recruiting and be available in Thomasville for questions regarding the experience.

“I’m happy to talk to groups or anyone who wants to know more about working at Yellowstone,” she said.

For more information on jobs at Yellowstone National Park, Kelly suggests visiting YNPjobs.com. She asked that students use her name in the application when mentioning where they heard about the opportunity and said she hopes to see many more familiar faces at Yellowstone soon.