Yuma, Arizona - Texas A&M graduate Makenzie Noland showed off her unusual graduation pictures on her Facebook page recently. The Association of Mature American Citizens says the photos show that she is ready, willing and able to use her newly acquired Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences degree to land her dream job at a zoo.

 They show her in cap-and-down romping with Big Tex, a nearly 14-foot alligator. She calls the gator “one of my best friends” at the local wildlife sanctuary where she has been interning.