The Wisconsin Nursery Association recently gave out $1,500 to two students studying horticulture. Daniel Gjertson, a UW-Madison student, was awarded $1,000 and Samantha Loehr received the $500 Dow AgroSciences Scholarship.
Gjertson has chosen coursework including woody ornamentals, arboriculture, and landscape maintenance that he feels will prepare him for a career in arboriculture. In addition to his studies, Gjertson has spent several summers at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum working on the crew that maintains native woodland gardens, prairie and wetland areas. He also spent the summer of 2009 participating in a summer internship at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
Currently, Gjertson works as an assistant gardener at the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. There, he is getting involved in tree climbing and also maintains a woody plant collection.
Gjertson’s current career goals are to work for a tree service in the upper Midwest to become an experienced arborist, so he can eventually become the head arborist at one of the public gardens in the region. After that, he looks forward to working closely with the many nurseries and other tree care professionals throughout the state of Wisconsin.
Loehr, from Campbellsport, Wis., is taking classes in the Farm & Industry Short Course as she works toward a landscape industry specialty.
Loehr took horticulture classes in high school that enabled her to grow a wide variety of plants, which she sold at the end of the semester. It was an experience that gave her insight into efficient greenhouse operations. She graduated from high school with an outstanding grade point average, and has an extensive background in FFA and 4-H. That, along with her hard work in the Farm & Industry Short Course, will prepare Samantha for her goal to get a job in either a greenhouse or a nursery. Samantha also has an interest in someday starting her own horticultural business.