News
Celebrating & Providing for the Rising Stars of Floriculture
August 09, 2024
We love the chance to uplift young professionals in our industry! AFE has been active at a few industry events lately networking, promoting opportunities, and sharing educational programs with the best and brightest of the next generation. We firmly believe that today’s young professionals are tomorrow’s leaders – and we want to support them in every way we can!
Cultivate’24 in Columbus, Ohio
AFE’s annual Board meeting coincided with Cultivate’24 in Columbus, Ohio, this year. We took advantage of this great opportunity to host a networking dinner with AFE’s Board, comprised of industry leaders across all segments, and invite members of our Young Professionals Council (YPC), program recipients, and other floral community supporters of the Endowment. We shared updates on AFE’s programs, made connections, and caught up with our friends from near and far!
“Serving on the Youth Professional Council (YPC) with AFE has been an invaluable experience, and attending the dinner at Cultivate allowed me to interact directly with the board and decision-makers in the cut-flower industry,” Dr. Ankit Singh, YPC Member and Assistant Extension Professor at the University of Maine.
A few days later, we held our annual luncheon meet-up at Cultivate just for our Young Professionals Council allowing everyone to update each other on where their careers have taken them, share their goals for the conference, and welcome some of our newly joined members.
“The YPC luncheon allowed me to meet my peers and discuss topics of commonalities, such as research and industry trends. In my capacity, specializing in Ornamental Horticulture, meeting the most critical stakeholders in this field has been rewarding. I am looking forward to next year!,” Ankit said.
We also attended the Greenhouse Product News (GPN)’s 40 Under 40 celebration. 40 Under 40 honors 40 individuals in the horticulture industry who demonstrate leadership, creativity, compassion, and innovative thinking.
This year, a few of the awardees were current or former YPC members and other friends of the Endowment! Please join us in congratulating QiuXia Chen (Dümmen Orange), Jeb Fields (Louisiana State University), Mary Lewis (Syngenta Flowers), and Dr. Megan Bowman (Ball Horticultural), who served as a Trustee on AFE’s Board.
The AFE team also met up with our 2024 Paul Thomas Floriculture Production Intern of the Year, Megan Grace Ann Nelson, from Kansas State University. Megan completed her Vic & Margaret Ball Internship last year at Tagawa Greenhouses, and her incredible work ethic, passion, and eagerness to learn earned her the Intern of the Year award. As part of the award, Megan received travel funds, registration to Cultivate this year, and $500 spending cash. Learn more about the 2024 Intern of the Year award here. And, look out for her event report, which we will share to AFE’s social media.
We are so proud of and happy to highlight these young professionals! If you want to learn more about our YPC or join (membership is free!), click here.
AIFD ‘Emerge’ Symposium in Orlando, Florida
At the American Institute of Floral Designer’s Annual Symposium, ‘Emerge,’ AFE had the opportunity to uplift and participate in several programs to support high school and college-aged students interested in the floral industry.
At this year’s Symposium, we helped fund the program “Bringing FFA to AIFD Symposium” through one of our educational grants. AFE Digital Marketing & Project Specialist, Gracie Alvarez, had the chance to meet the students and help during their hands-on workshops throughout the week!
Lesleighan Cravens, AIFD, CFD, PFCI, CEJ, of the University of Missouri, organized the fantastic program for the students this year, which featured hands-on workshops from nationally-renowned floral designers, exciting mainstage programs, and gave them the opportunity to speak with industry members and learn more about careers in floral.
12 FFA students from three different high schools were in attendance with their advisors. Some of their hands-on workshops included designing curly willow armatures with Chris Norwood, AIFD, PFCI, AAF, and designing floral body art pieces with Hanna Souther, AIFD. Students also took a ‘Behind-the-Stage’ tour of the symposium workroom, where designers create their mainstage performance designs!
We love any opportunity to support the next generation of floral, and this event is a perfect example of that! To learn more about our educational grants, click here.
Later at the Symposium, we hosted a table at the Career Fair and Emerging Professionals event, which focused on giving young professionals, especially members of the Student Chapters of the American Institute of Floral Designer (SAIFD), an inside look at careers in floriculture.
There are 15 SAIFD chapters around the country of college students participating in floral design programs at their universities. SAIFD members compete in the Annual Student Design Competition, host Artist in Residence Programs throughout the year, and their students can also receive sponsorships to attend the National Symposium.
At this year’s Career Fair, we shared information on the AFE Career Center, which serves as the industry’s trusted job board, connecting top talent with employers, and providing resources such as resume reviews, coaching, and expert advice. Opportunities on the Center range from internships to leadership positions and welcome applicants at all stages of their careers, and all backgrounds!
We also shared information on our other programs for up-and-coming industry members, such as our internship programs and Young Professionals Council. While there, we added three new members to our YPC: Avery Heck, Olivia Vardy, and Celeste Winfield. Please join us in welcoming them to the YPC!
AFE provides a wide range of free resources for students and young professionals considering careers in floriculture or horticulture. From our 30+ scholarships and 3 paid internship programs, to professional development opportunities, we are here to help the next generation kickstart their future in floral!
