Connors State College freshman Katy Blankenship says she thought she was through with plants when she enrolled in college.
But Disney gave her other ideas.
Blankenship, 19, has been accepted for a summer horticulture internship at Walt Disney World, where she would help crews keep up the landscaping and floral work.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” the Cushing, Okla. resident said. “If I go over there, maybe I’ll decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Mickey Mouse and Goofy will have to wait, however. Blankenship said she plans to go, not this summer, but NEXT summer. She said she learned the other Disney interns are in their early 20s.
“So I’d be the youngest by several years,” she said, adding that she wants to wait until she’s a little older. She said Disney agreed to let her delay her internship for a year.
Blankenship grew up interested in caring for both plants and animals. She showed Chianina and Maine-Anjou cattle and Hampshire and crossbreed pigs at livestock shows.
She and other Cushing High School agriculture students also competed in landscaping and floraculture competitions.
“We won state and national competitions,” she said.
Floraculture competitions involved identifying scores of different flowers and plants.
She said she came to Connors on a livestock judging scholarship.
“When I graduated from high school, I thought I was going to be done with landscaping,” she said. “I was going into animal science and pursuing a pre-veterinary degree.
She said she remains interested in a veterinary career, though the horticulture internship could give her another career idea.
Blankenship said horticulture teacher Debra Golden gave her information about the horticulture internship.
The ag student’s interest in horticulture has taken root in other areas.
Blankenship said she coordinated Connors’ horticulture and floraculture contest for Oklahoma high schools. Cushing, her alma mater, came in third, while Moore won the event.
“It’s rewarding just to know my time and effort is paying off, and I can actually help others,” she said.