Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden hosts third Horticulture Career Day with GroundworkORV
UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning serves as a higher education vendor
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden recently hosted its third annual Horticulture Career Day, an event aimed at inspiring the next generation of green professionals. This year’s event was held in collaboration with Groundwork Ohio River Valley (ORV) Cincinnati, a non-profit organization co-founded by University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) alumnus, Tanner Yess.
The Horticulture Career Day provided a unique opportunity for high school students across the tri-state area to explore various green career paths. The GroundworkORV Green Team, a dedicated group of about 150 students who spent their summer engaged in environmental restoration, ornamental horticulture, urban agriculture, and invasive plant removal, participated in the event.
Luis Aguilar former Green Team Director at Groundwork Ohio River Valley (far left) leading GroundworkORV Green Team of high school students towards employment readiness within the green industry. Photo/Groundwork ORV Cincinnati.
This is a chance to take that little bit of experience working in horticulture and see if there’s a career that matches that interest.
Sierra Hayden Director, Groundwork ORV
Students had the chance to learn about diverse career opportunities within the field of horticulture that they might not have previously considered. “This is a chance to take that little bit of experience working in horticulture this summer and see if there’s a career that matches that interest,” said Sierra Hayden, director of GroundworkORV’s green team in a recent Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden publication. "It’s also a great opportunity to talk, to sell themselves and see what the future could look like for them within the environmental realm.”
UC's College of DAAP was invited to participate as an education vendor, showcasing how a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture can further open the doors to a range of employment opportunities in the art and practice of garden cultivation and management.
We are very proud of our horticulture program here at UC.
Brian Grubb Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator
Sophia Becker (left), UC Horticulture alumna '23 serving as a Arboretum Apprentice and the vendor representative of Boone County Arboretum (BCA) with current UC Horticulture student and BCA intern, Emily Herschelman (right). Photo/Samantha Norton.
Faculty and Program Coordinator, Brian Grubb, broke down the specifics of how DAAP can equip students with the skills and specializations needed to thrive in a variety of sectors in the field to approaching students. From certifications in green roofs, sustainable landscape design, urban agriculture, urban landscapes, cannabis studies, or urban design, students discovered green career pathways, like arboriculture, zoological and botanical gardens, garden design, and more, that completing a degree in higher education can provide.
"We are very proud of our horticulture program here at UC," says Grubb. "We have created multiple pathways for students to build meaningful careers in horticulture and the plant sciences. Our curriculum offers significant choices and flexibility to help students build career foundations during their time as a Bearcat."
Jack Schaefer, University of Cincinnati Bachelor of Science in Horticulture alumnus '24 and Cincinnati State alumnus Associate in Landscape Horticulture '22, working as a full-time head arborist at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Photo/Brian Grubb.
Grubb also encourages high school students who are not ready to commit to a four-year degree path to consider transferring into our program with an Associate degree, like Jack Schaefer, B.S. Horticulture alumnus '24.
UC has crafted, with our partner institutions, Articulation Agreements, that define a relationship that enables students to more easily transfer to the University of Cincinnati. Students can earn an associate degree in AAB Landscape Horticulture (Transfer Degree Map), AAB Sustainable Horticulture (Transfer Degree Map) and AAB Turfgrass Management to (Transfer Degree Map) and join the College of DAAP with a clear path between their associate degree from local community colleges, like Cincinnati State, and complete our compatible bachelors degree at the University of Cincinnati.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Horticulture.
Featured image at top provided by Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.
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