The Quest For #19
As the 2017-18 school year gets into full swing again this month, it’s time for us to look for the 2018 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year.
Once again, we are looking for that one exceptional college student who is working on a horticulture-related degree and who participated in an internship program this year.
This is the 19th year that GPN and Nexus Corp. have been recognizing our outstanding interns. Three of the previous 18 honorees are also now alumni of GPN’s 40 Under 40 program — so far! I’m sure there will be more in the coming years.
As the 2018 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year, the student will receive a check for $3,000; be featured in an article and on the cover of the January 2018 issue of GPN; and receive travel and hotel expenses to Cultivate’18 in Columbus, Ohio, next July as well as a complimentary full Cultivate’18 registration.
To be considered for the 2018 scholarship, the student must currently be enrolled in a four-year accredited university during 2016-2017 and 2017-2018; be working on an undergraduate degree in horticulture/floriculture; and have completed a greenhouse-related internship in 2017.
To apply for the 2018 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year Scholarship, the student needs to:
- Write a cover letter requesting consideration for the scholarship and state what
university he/she attends; - Secure a letter of recommendation on university letterhead from the applicant’s
academic advisor; and - Write a minimum 1,000-word essay describing the internship experience including where the applicant interned, what his/her responsibilities were and what was learned during the internship.
Applicants do not need to fill out any forms and the deadline for applications is Oct. 18, 2017. If you have any questions, please contact me at thodson@greatamericanpublish.com.
Additional details on the 2018 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year Scholarship can be found on page 56.
Gray Graduates
The 2017 GPN/Nexus Intern of the Year, Gray Simpson, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia last spring with a degree in horticulture and a certificate in organic agriculture. Prior to his senior year, Gray completed his internship at Metrolina Greenhouses in North Carolina.
Upon graduation, Gray decided to hold off on entering into the professional world and is currently continuing his education. Since June, he has been living in Costa Rica working as a sustainable agriculture intern at the University of Georgia’s satellite campus in rural San Luis.
He is conducting research, organically growing food for the campus cafeteria and establishing a coffee nursery and plantation — “and nerding out over the flora and fauna of Monteverde.”
When he returns to the U.S. in 2018, keep an eye out for Gray!
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