AmericanHort HortScholars Program Now Accepting Applications

Jennifer Zurko

The 2019 AmericanHort HortScholars program is now accepting applications through March 1, 2019 from enthusiastic students in horticulture-related degree programs of any degree level. Students wishing to apply may do so online at AmericanHort.org/Scholars.

HortScholars is a seven-day program that sets students in horticulture on a path to success by exposing them to the breadth of the horticulture industry, its opportunities and its leaders at the industry’s primary trade show—Cultivate. The program offers a beyond-the-classroom experience, insight and awareness of the industry, and professional development via education sessions, networking and working with industry mentors.

In 2018, AmericanHort received a record number of applications from students across the nation in top-level horticulture programs. Each year, the student’s applications show passions as vast as the horticulture industry. HortScholars’ majors have ranged from Horticultural Plant Production to Sustainable Plant Systems and from Landscape Architecture to Genetics.

Why should you become a HortScholar? To spend seven days in Columbus, Ohio, prior to and during Cultivate’19 with paid-for meals, lodging and an all-access pass to Cultivate, as well as a one-year membership with AmericanHort. HortScholars experience the behind-the-scenes logistics of readying the Columbus Convention Center for Cultivate and have exclusive opportunities for in-depth discussions with industry leaders, including the AmericanHort Board of Directors. These meetings provide HortScholars with insights into the industry and valuable contacts for their professional networks moving forward in their careers.

Interested in applying? Visit AmericanHort.org/Scholars to complete your application by March 1, 2019. AmericanHort’s GenerationNext Community Connectors will evaluate the applications, then choose 12 finalists who will provide a short video on why they want to be a HortScholar. The six 2019 HortScholars will be chosen from those finalists.

Questions about the 2019 HortScholars Program can be sent to Katie Gustafson at KatieG@AmerianHort.org for more information. GT