Meet the many integral members of the department and learn about their horticultural career journey in our new series, This is my Hort-Story!
Current job title: Researcher 5
Current lab/team: Anderson Lab - Flower Breeding and Germplasm
Time spent working in the Department of Horticultural Science: 5.5 years
Pronouns: she/her
The thing that brought me to a career in horticulture was…
Growing up I was so sure I was going to be a marketer and write commercials. After getting a BBA in marketing and a minor in finance from the University of Alaska - Fairbanks, I knew this wasn’t the career path for me. I had been working various retail management jobs in Minnesota after graduating and had just met my now husband. He was in graduate school for genetics and I had assumed that it cost a lot of money to continue education beyond undergraduate. I was surprised to find out that he was getting paid to attend. He was earning more as a graduate student than I was making as a teller. This got my gears turning. Since I had always liked plants I decided to go into horticultural science. I went back to undergraduate school with the goal of going to graduate school. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Plant Science in a semester and a half using transfer credits from my previous BBA and credits from local community college night classes. I went on to earn my master’s in Applied Plant Science in 2018 and have been working in the department as a researcher ever since!
The most enjoyable/rewarding part of my work is…
Getting to see the new flower crosses that we made come to fruition. Gladiolas are my favorite because they are the easiest to see the product of two parents. They are also a great teaching tool. This summer, I assigned one of our undergraduate student workers the responsibility of managing the crosses. When we plant the seeds later this fall she will be able to see the results of her crossing decisions hands on.
When I’m not working you can find me…
Curling – I’m a huge curler! I started playing when I was eight years old and still love the sport. During winter I curl two league nights a week in the St. Paul Curling Club and compete in bonspiels one to two times a month.
People may be surprised to know that…
I’m a first generation college student and I grew up in rural Alaska. 18-year-old me would be flabbergasted that plant research is an actual career. Working here is such a dream!