Sectioned below are my experiences within the industry, please click on the tab you would like to view.
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HORTICULTURE CLUB
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WALT DISNEY WORLD
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BAILEY NURSERIES INC.
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CONVENTIONS
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HONORS
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Texas A&M Horticulture Club
Member since August 2015. Greenhouse Manager May 2016 -- December 2016. Social Chair May 2017 -- May 2018.
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Biannual Plant Sale
Our largest fundraiser is our biannual plant sale where the club has a gross income of roughly $40,000. Plant material for the fall sale is donated to the club by TNLA because of our volunteerism at the annual exposition. The club maintains the plants at the greenhouse and nursery facility near campus. Officers and members coordinate together to ensure that all plants are properly watered and scouted for pests. For the spring plant sale, we transplant purchased liners into one gallon containers that will then be sold early April. In addition to purchased liners, we will also propagate succulents and divide tubers that will be sold. The most popular plant for sale in the spring are our Maroon Bonnets! Seeds are stratified and planted into liners. Once large enough, they are transplanted into accent containers to be sold. Plant sale is a busy season but it is rewarding in comradery and hard work. |
Greenhouse Manager
I was elected as Greenhouse Manager in May 2016. I had just completed my freshman year of college and I was excited to take on a leadership role. I wanted to be an officer because I had an amazing experience as a member and I wanted to create those same opportunities for others to experience. My role of the officer team was to coordinate with the nursery adviser work days for members and to communicate any problems I saw in the greenhouse or nursery. I loved walking through the facility everyday scouting for pests and checking watering needs. |
Walt Disney World Plant Science Internship
Systems intern at the Living with the Land greenhouses at Epcot. January 10, 2016 -- June 28, 2016
Epcot, a park at Walt Disney World, has a section called The Land Pavilion where the Living with the Land boat ride is located. The boat ride takes guests through a tropical greenhouse, then through the Aqua-cell holding sustainable raised fish, and back through a temperate, production, and innovative greenhouses. These four greenhouses are up-kept by fifteen interns and respective managers. All plants are grown, maintained, and harvested by interns and then delivered to restaurants around Walt Disney World.
Acquired Skills |
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Bailey Nurseries Inc. Internship
Nursery production internship at the commercial nursery in Onarga, Illinois. May 16, 2018 -- July 20, 2018
Bailey Nurseries Inc. is a wholesale nursery operated from Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. Their company sells plant material across the United States and internationally. Wholesale shipment is international. Facilities include greenhouse production and propagation, bareroot tree and shrub production, bareroot storage, and container production and shipping.
ACQUIRED SKILLS |
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An aerial shot of Bailey Nurseries in Onarga, Illinois.
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My internship at Bailey Nurseries was focused on container production and shipping. Starting in May meant that I was jumping directly into the busy spring season. The potting sector was transplanting liners into one, three, or five gallon containers at a rate of roughly 1,500 per hour and shipping was pulling containers, applying labels, and loading the eighteen-wheeler's for the 300 orders per day. I was able to experience the fast-paced atmosphere in each other these sectors of the nursery during its peak. While there are no automation's for these tasks, the manualization has been perfected for maximized efficiency. I also joined the pruning team later in the summer where we would prune thousands of plants to a manicured shape.
This was my first time ever driving a tractor. Once I became more comfortable operating it, I had the opportunity to work with the nursery's Plant Health Foreman and learned how to apply granular herbicides using a Gandy applicator. I spent my time going through new plantings by the hoop houses applying herbicide or applying insecticide for Japanese Beetle in surrounding fields. I loved operating the tractor, assessing foliage, and scouting for pests!
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National Association of Landscape Professionals LANDSCAPES Convention
Student ambassador, October 2018 whose duties include checking in guests, setting up meeting spaces, and announcements. |
International Plant Propagators Society - Southern Region Conference
In 2017, I attended the conference in Dallas, Texas. We toured three nursery facilities learning about their innovative technology and how they maximize efficiency and profits at. During the conference, we listened to industry speakers talk about innovation and research in the nursery and greenhouse industry. I will be attending the 2018 conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee in October. |
American Society of Horticultural Sciences
I attended the 2016 undergraduate competition in Atlanta, Georgia and again in 2017 in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Competition included knowing over 300 woody and ornamental plants from across the United States. We would then judge container nursery plants and fruit and vegetable plates. Texas A&M University has been overall 1st place for over three years now. Texas Nursery and Landscape Association EXPO
A group of students attended the exposition to install the Texas A&M student designed 20'x60' display booth. Our install included plants, mulch, and some hardscape. |