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Nursery & Landscape Notes is introducing you to the next generation of green industry professionals by featuring current and recent college students with plans to pursue careers in the field.
Zohara Scott Zohara Scott, originally from New Zealand, will graduate from North Carolina State University in May 2021 with a degree in horticulture, with a concentration in landscape design, gardens and urban environment. She spent a year working in NC State’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program, and recently began volunteering for Cure Nursery in Pittsboro. A dean’s list student for 2017-2020, she is also a 2020 American Society for Horticulture Science Collegiate Scholars award winner, as well as the recipient of
a Margaret Pittman Horticultural Science scholarship and a scholarship from Pi Alpha Xi, a horticultural honors fraternity. How did you discover horticulture? Growing up I was fascinated by plants— especially their extensive variety—but I had always seen gardening as a hobby or a requirement of being a homeowner. I never realized it could be a career. When I started university, I didn’t know what I wanted to study, so I took a variety of classes to explore my interests. When my academic advisor learned that I enjoyed growing plants, she strongly recommended that I contact NC State’s Department of Horticultural Science. After I took my first horticulture class, I knew there was no going back. My fascination for plants developed into a deep devotion. Now, three years later, I am graduating with more horticultural knowledge than I ever thought I could acquire, immense gratitude to all the professors and classmates that have helped me along the way, and a clear focus for what I want to do in my life. What were your most valuable experiences, either in school or from other exposure to the industry, and why? My most valuable experiences have come from deciding to try new things at university. I tried to take every opportunity that came my way. Since an early age, I have had a deep fear of public speaking, due to my
18 NURSERY & LANDSCAPE NOTES || WINTER 2021
