I just finished a season exploring the world of high elevation horticulture! I spent my summer up at 8,200' learning and experiencing all that I could get from Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, CO. I graduated in December 2023 from Colorado State University. In those three and a half years I obtained a dual Bachelors of Science in Horticulture - specifically Environmental Horticulture: Nursery and Landscape Management as well as Horticulture: Controlled Environments. I have always been interested in the landscape, starting with my mom and grandfather and then invested time into a lawn care business. In high school I got hired at a local greenhouse in Rapid City, South Dakota. I lost track of time being there - 2 years immersed in the green industry, propagation, and spending much time learning annual bedding plants and vegetables prior to enrolling at Colorado State University and being hired on with The Trial Gardens where I had coordinated the Annual Trials for two seasons. Once graduated, I have goals to intern for some botanic gardens, work in some production, be a consultant and anything else I can try along the way. If I had to choose a favorite - Alpine thistle Cirsium funkiae; Crevice novelties are Veronica, Androsace and Saxifraga; Standout Perennials are Rudbeckia occidentalis, Primula vialii, and Centaurea macrocephala. Houseplant would be Hoya, xeric annual is Biden - and if continued any more a very long list. I have a growing interest in crevice garden tolerable plants, as well as attempting to overwinter some species bordering our zone. Some additional hobbies include yoga, origami, clarinet/viola/piano, paddle boarding, snowboarding, photography and modeling.