September 2013

Back to School Means… By Tim Hodson

It is that time of year again! It is time for GPN and Nexus Corp. to find our Intern of the Year! As college students return to campus, we want to learn more about those aspiring horticulturists who are still on their educational journey but preparing to enter the industry.

Each year for the past 14 years, GPN and Nexus Corp. have recognized one student who has taken part in a college-sponsored internship program at a horticulture-related company.
We want to shine the spotlight on that special student who, during the internship, learned not only about the many different facets of horticulture but also learned more about themself too.

The Tradition Continues

Our 2013 Intern of the Year, Lauren Tuski, participated in the internship program at C. Raker & Sons in Litchfield, Mich., during the summer of 2012. During her internship at Raker, Lauren was able to gain valuable insight into the horticulture industry and also learn more about herself and which direction she would like her career to go.

Last May, she graduated from Michigan State University with a double major of horticulture and professional writing. Today she is putting both of her majors to work on the production and marketing sides of the business at Wojo's Greenhouses in Ortonville, Mich.

Do you know a college student like Lauren that participated in an internship program in 2013? Was that student's intership experience both educational and enlightening?
If you do know of someone who qualifies, then we want to hear about him or her. The winning student will receive a check for $3,000; be featured in an article and on the cover of the January 2014 issue of GPN; receive travel and hotel expenses to 2014 OFA Short Course as well as a full Short Course registration.

All of the Intern of the Year application criteria can be found on page 72. The deadline to apply is Oct. 21, 2013. If you or the student have additional questions, feel free to contact me at thodson@sgcmail.com.

And if you would like to take a walk down memory lane and learn about all 14 of our previous interns go to https://gpnmag.com/intern-of-the-year. You'll find out what it took for them to be named the GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year.