TAMPA, Fla. — Kaitlyn Gengler is very fashionable today.
She's wearing a Brayden Point Lightning jersey.
WATCH: Lightning Fan Zone! This Bolts backer has a wild job at the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa
And a real live boa constrictor as a belt.
"This is Iggy," she says, introducing the big ol' snake to a family touring the wetlands area of the Florida Aquarium.
A 28-year-old University of Tampa grad, Kaitlyn is an educator and animal caretaker at the downtown Tampa attraction.
She started as a volunteer. Now, she's a full-time superstar spreading the word about protecting — and loving — our beautiful planet and all of its fascinating inhabitants.
"I'm basically a teacher, except instead of a normal classroom, the aquarium is my classroom," she says.
She brings her critter friends — including a lively juvenile American alligator named Banks — to meet kids, camps, mommy classes, seniors you name it.
"I'm very passionate about this," she says. "I've always loved marine life and visiting different zoos and aquariums, so I have the perfect job now."
Her other passion, however, is just a couple of blocks away.
"I work right down the road from Benchmark International, so if there's a Lightning game, I can walk right up there," she says. "It's a pretty nice perk."
Kaitlyn is from New Jersey. She grew up in a hockey-loving family. You'd think the Devils would be the preferred pro team in her household.
But when her brother Chris met Lightning players at a Devils game — and the Bolts were really nice to him — he became a fan. And Kaitlyn wasn't far behind, especially after moving here.
She loves when her worlds collide, like when she brought Banks the baby American alligator to meet Thunderbug on Thunder Alley.
"This is the best place to work," she says.
Contact Sean Daly on Instagram at @seandalytv if you have a great story about a local Lightning fan!
Share Your Story with Sean
Sean Daly calls himself Tampa Bay 28’s "resident big kid". He puts his boundless energy into sharing stories about people doing good, things for you to do, and of course, theme parks. If you have an idea for Sean’s next adventure or "Daly Discovery", send him a message.
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