A Massapequa Park resident dug deep and is now receiving a $1,000 scholarship from the Long Island Horticultural Society.
At its June meeting, the Horticultural Society awarded two scholarships, of $1,000 each, to two deserving students majoring in horticulture at Farmingdale State University. Lucy Contreras, 25, of Massapequa Park received the award along with James Brandt, 32, of New Hyde Park.
Both students have come to the field of horticulture after pursuing degrees in other areas. After attending LIU Post, Contreras was working towards a master’s degree in art at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, when she realized how much she missed Old Westbury Gardens, where she had begun working in 2007. Starting as a member of visitor services, Contreras soon became the plant shop manager, and then moved on to the greenhouse where she learned how to propagate plants. This experience made her realize that she “belonged in horticulture” and in 2013 she was accepted into Farmingdale’s horticultural program where she is now a sophomore. Her stated goal is to continue to work in a public garden setting.
With an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Nassau Community College and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Stony Brook University, Brandt decided to return to school to pursue his true passion which began as a teenager working in his family’s backyard. He is now a senior in Farmingdale’s four-year degree program in Horticultural Technology Management.
To augment his studies, last year Brandt participated in a study abroad program in Florence, Italy, where he studied Italian garden history and design, and this year he has secured an internship in environmental education at Old Westbury Gardens for the spring-summer season. Brandt hopes “to find a place in the world, hopefully on Long Island, where I can work in the horticultural industry and love what I do.”
Founded in 1934, the Long Island Horticultural Society meets monthly at Planting Fields Arboretum and offers its members year-round educational programs, events and tours of gardens here and abroad. Membership is open to all Long Island gardeners whether they are professionals, enthusiastic amateurs or just like to stop and smell the roses. More information about the LIHS, including its scholarship program, can be found at www.lihort.org.
