SESLOC Credit Union is proud to honor Amber Nieslanik as a SESLOC Young Change Maker. Amber earned the award in June 2025 for her dedication to the community as a service dog trainer for New Life K9s.
The SESLOC Young Change Maker Award is given monthly to a young person or young professional under 40 doing significant work to benefit their community. Anyone can nominate a young person for the SESLOC Young Change Maker award on the Wild 106 website.
Amber grew up on a ranch in Colorado, surrounded by all different kinds of animals. Her daily routine involved working with horses, cows, and pigs. From a young age, she knew that she wanted to work with animals.
At Cal Poly, Amber not only studied how to work with animals, but also worked on an exotic animal training certification with the Animal Behavior Institute. While her original goal was to work specifically with marine mammals, a job working around dogs would change her career trajectory entirely.
While at college, Amber started working at Thousand Hills Pet Resort, where she fell in love with working with animals. Her training working with exotic animals provided a foundation in training and working with the dogs, which allowed her to climb the ranks and transition to working with non-profit New Life K9s.
With her current role, Amber works with volunteers to train service dogs for veterans and first responders affected by PTSD. She works with both the public and those incarcerated at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo to train the dogs for two years before being assigned to their veteran or first responder.
Amber says being recognized as a SESLOC Young Change Maker means a lot to her and her mission at New Life K9s. The recognition of highlights the importance of giving back to the community, especially to those who have already given so much.
You can help Amber and New Life K9s drive their mission to pair more service dogs with those in need. The organization is always looking for help at the office, along with families to help socialize puppies and prepare them for training as service dogs. To find out more, visit their website at https://www.newlifek9s.org/volunteer.