2023 Horticulture Internship Placements

Sean Michael Abbott
Rising Senior Horticulture
Garden Elegance
Charleston, SC

My name is Sean Abbott, and this summer I interned as a crew worker at Garden Elegance, a high profile landscape company in Charleston, SC. At Garden Elegance, I served as a floating pair of hands to help the company wherever they needed me. This gave me a hands-on impression of the company’s activities as a whole. In working for Garden Elegance, I gained extensive experience in doing maintenance, installation, and nursery work. In this industry, I found myself rising before the sun, working up to 11 hour days, and experiencing some of the most uncomfortable settings that the southeastern United States has to offer. Through bugs, sun, storms, and one-hundred-degree days I persisted on with my fellow crew members. In doing all of this, I found a growing appreciation within myself for things as simple as good meals for lunch and the cool breeze floating through the thick woods. This internship displayed the marks of a successful business to me, but most importantly it taught me the importance of people in the work setting. Despite a large language barrier between English and Spanish speakers, the days were perpetually rejuvenated by the upbeat attitude of my coworkers between job sites. This morale boost helped to snuff out the exhaustion and was by far the greatest lesson I could have been taught about business, as well as life. As cliché as it may sound, despite all the hardships and days when I longed for air conditioning, I would not change a thing about where I spent my life this past summer.

Chloe Aiello
Rising Senior, Horticulture Major
The Claude Monet Foundation
Giverny, France

My name is Chloe Aiello, and I am a rising senior in Horticulture at Clemson University. Over the summer, I had the amazing opportunity to work in the gardens at The Claude Monet Foundation. I chose to pursue this opportunity because of my history and love for both Art History and the arts in general. Working in this garden setting would allow me to use my creative talents in the same garden Claude Monet, an artist I have loved for years, created. This internship was incredible. I learned the ins and outs of what it is like to maintain a public garden. I was even able to design parts of the garden and Foundation owned space outside of the walls. This was almost the most exciting part of my experience. What really blew my mind was being able to enter the water garden pond and pull-out dead/dying water lily pads in the style Monet would have done himself. This experience only deepened my love for Horticulture, and I am so glad I was able to do it.

Zay Barton
Senior Horticulture
Urban Teaching Farm
Greenville SC

My name is Zay Barton, a senior Horticulture major. For my internship, I went to Upstate Circle of Friends, a non-profit in Greenville, SC. At the non-profit, their Urban Teaching Farm is where I specifically worked. On the Urban Teaching Farm, I served as a Farm Assistant alongside Farm Manager Kim Gibson. I loved everything about my internship experience, from the people to the work itself. This photo is of me holding a bundle of sweet potato slips. They were donated to me by some local farmers, and I passed on the abundance by donating some to the Urban Teaching Farm. My only negative experience was the weekly commute, other than that, all positive.

Cayleigh V Brown
Rising Junior Horticulture
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Charleston, SC

My name is Cayleigh Brown, and I am a junior Horticulture student at Clemson University. Over the summer, I completed my internship at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens located in Charleston, SC. The site is located on the banks of the West Ashley River, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of this internship, as each day was different from the last. The property included over 400 acres of protected wetlands, a romantic-style garden showcasing a vast collection of azaleas and camellias, numerous formal garden beds, as well as the historic structures. A typical day encompassed several activities such as weeding, watering, pruning, dead-heading, mulching, harvesting vegetables, sowing seeds, taking cuttings, planting, treating plant diseases, or digging up plants. I have grown immensely in my knowledge of the scientific and artistic aspects of horticulture. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone interested in public horticulture.

Jarett Burgos
Senior Horticulture student
Buck Jones Nursery
Grayson, GA

My name is Jarett Burgos and I am senior Horticulture student who had the privilege of an amazing internship this summer at Buck Jones Nursery located in Grayson, Georgia. The nursery is located just outside the city of Lawrenceville. Buck Jones Nursery is a wholesale nursery that serves both commercial and retail customers. At Buck Jones we sold all different kinds of plants and trees as well as sod, mulch, rock, and other landscape materials. I worked in all aspects of the nursery business. This summer I had an amazing experience working at Buck Jones Nursery and applying my knowledge that I have gained from Clemson University. I was blessed to be able to come work at the nursery and gain new business ideas for the near future.

Ashley Canaday
Senior Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Garden

I am Ashley Canaday, and I had the privilege of working at the South Carolina Botanical Garden during the Fall (2023) and Winter (2024) seasons. Despite the chilly weather, my experience was highly rewarding, exceptionally diverse, and engaging. I found it particularly healing to be surrounded by nature and fresh air all day. I had various responsibilities as part of my monthly duty rotations. These included fundamental landscaping tasks, such as pruning, weeding, clearing, mulching, pest control, and tree planting. As well as fundamental greenhouse activities like potting up plants and sewing seeds. Additionally, I contributed to more substantial projects such as assisting removal of hazardous trees, removing invasive species, cleaning chainsaws, repairing heavy machinery, managing volunteer projects, repairing trail damage caused by flooding, path bordering, and even constructing a flagstone pathway. Most days required laborious work, nevertheless, I found myself energized at the end of many days, feeling refreshed by the outdoors around me. Many think there is not much to see when it comes to plants in the winter months, however there is a special beauty that remains despite the cold. I am lucky enough to have found this charm during my time at the South Carolina Botanical Garden.

William Carter Garris
Rising Senior, Horticulture
StateHouse Holdings Inc.
Salinas, California

My name is William Garris, and I am a rising senior at Clemson University. I will receive my Bachelor of Science in Horticulture. For the past 10 weeks, I have worked at StateHouse Holdings in Salinas, California. During my internship, I performed several rotations to gain experience in each stage of the cannabis cultivation process. I assisted in research and development, cloning, transplanting, harvesting, post-harvest drying, and quality control. I worked with mother stock plants from which cuttings were taken, then rooted and placed into production to begin the next crop cycle. My time at StateHouse Holdings was terrific. The individuals I met while working have become good friends, and I have made strong connections that will push me to further my knowledge in the cannabis industry. I am genuinely grateful for my time at StateHouse Holdings and the education that came with the experience.

Hailey Nichole Haddock
Rising Horticulture Senior
BrightFarms Carolina Greenhouse
Hendersonville, NC

My name is Hailey Haddock and I am a rising senior Horticulture student at Clemson University. I had the incredible opportunity to intern at BrightFarms, an indoor deep water culture lettuce farm, this summer in Hendersonville North Carolina. I was privileged with the ability to get hands-on in every department within the facility including seeding, transplanting, harvesting, and packing the lettuce crop. Daily I was responsible for various grower tasks such as measuring pond metrics and pest scouting. Working at BrightFarms was like being welcomed into a new family with open arms. They allowed me to take part in many of the pond upgrade projects within the facility and encouraged innovative creativity for tackling grower related issues. Amongst the many projects I was involved in, I was also assigned one of my own to research throughout the summer. Following the completion of my time on site at the Carolina greenhouse I was flown to the BrightFarms Farm Support Center in New York to present my final project findings to their leadership team. I am so grateful to have been able to join the BrightFarms team for two months this summer. I learned an incredible amount of information surrounding deep water culture hydroponics as well as the dynamics of a career in indoor farming and I am excited to utilize my new skills in the future.

Kaleigh E Leasure
Rising Senior
Garden Elegance
Charleston, SC

My name is Kaleigh Leasure and I’m a Charleston native that decided to stay home for the summer. I worked as a landscaper with one of Charleston’s best landscaping companies, Garden Elegance. I worked mainly with flower care and thoroughly enjoyed learning throughout the process. I enjoyed the hard work and with this opportunity I was able to navigate further what direction I would like to take my Horticulture degree in. I would like to continue my future in the direction of using plants for medicine.

Charles Pasquale Mcguinn
Rising Junior in Horticulture
Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic
Pendleton, SC

My name is Charles McGuinn, I am an undergraduate in Clemson University’s Horticulture program, class of 2025. I had the privilege to be one of the first undergraduate lab interns at the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic located in Pendleton, South Carolina. I was involved in the diagnostic work that goes into identifying the pathogen, pest, or environmental issue that is harming the plant. I got to be in direct contact with clients and work with senior diagnosticians who helped me through the process of examining and identifying the pathogen that is plaguing the sample. Much of my work involved basic mycology and biology which helped understand how pathogens work and harm the host plant. I am extremely grateful that Dr. Yang, the PPDC lab manager, trusted me to work at his lab and gain valuable experience in a field I am passionate about. I am surprised by how much I could learn in only a few short months and excited to apply what I've learned towards my path in the future. Thank you so much!!

Sachaly Rosario Rivera
Rising Junior Horticulture Major
University of Sevilla
Sevilla, Spain

My name is Sachaly Rosario Rivera. This summer I was a research intern at the University of Sevilla in Sevilla, Spain. This internship was arranged through the Future Leaders Obtaining Research and Extension Career Experiences (FLORECE) program at Clemson. I worked on a thesis project in the agriculture engineering building. I studied the effects various cover crops have on phosphorus availability for wheat through soil analysis. I had an amazing experience in Spain. I enjoyed the research I conducted because it was tackling an issue farmers have. I was able to live in a new country, explore Sevilla and travel during the weekends. I am extremely grateful and appreciative of the opportunity.

Rosemarie Sbardella
Rising Junior, Horticulture
Landscape Services of Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

This summer I worked with the Landscape Services of Clemson University. My tasks included watering, weeding, blowing, mowing, pruning, propagation, and preparing plants to decorate events. This job was challenging for me because I am new to the Horticulture major (I just switched out of Architecture) and I was not accustomed to using power landscape equipment. In addition, Clemson has over 20 major construction projects currently ongoing, and grappling with the ever-changing access and traffic patterns could be quite an ordeal. Despite the challenges, I loved being able to work outside all day with the plants and I found the internship to be very fulfilling!

Caleb Smith
Rising Junior, Horticulture
Metrolina Greenhouses
York, South Carolina

My name is Caleb Smith, and I am a rising junior horticulture student at Clemson University. I have the pleasure of working at Metrolina Greenhouses in York, SC. Here I am able to combine my love for work and my love for horticulture. I am involved with the plants, from plugs to the finished products on the stores’ shelves. Some of the things that I do are weeding and watering the plants, compost (waste) the bad/ unshippable plants, pot the plugs, tag pots, and get the plants loaded onto the trucks. This has been one of the most rewarding jobs that I have ever worked. I have learned so much being here. This internship is one that I recommend trying.

Abigail R Taylor
Rising Junior in Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, SC

I am a current horticulture student at Clemson and I interned this summer at the SC Botanical Garden. I worked on the natural heritage trail, the desert garden, the nursery, and the children’s camp. I did lots of weeding primarily and learned how to use a weed whacker. At the nursery, I repotted lots of baby plants and trees, and learned the soil composition for different kinds of plants. At the children's camps, I worked with the kids and helped teach them about nature. I really loved this experience and I have learned so much. I learned about many types of trees and plants that I couldn’t identify before. I thought that learning the names of the trees would be much harder, but it is slowly starting to come to me.

Austtyn Thomas
Senior Horticulture Minor in Life Sciences
Laurel Creek Florals

Interning at Laurel Creek Florals was an unforgettable experience, and I fell in love with every aspect of it. I spent a delightful summer learning the intricacies of flower farming here in South Carolina, stumbling around with arrangements to learn more about myself and cultivating my passion for conservation. Gaining a deeper understanding of the real hard work it takes to run an ecofriendly business. Kendra at Laurel Creek Florals was incredibly supportive, guiding me through various techniques and allowing me to express my creativity and knowledge. I could extend my internship and continue immersing myself in the world of flowers. The invaluable lessons and cherished memories I gained during my time at Laurel Creek Florals will always hold a special place in my heart, inspiring me to pursue my love cultivating flowers and being surrounded by plant people.

Tabitha Cymon Williams
Rising Sophomore Horticulture
SOAR REEU at the University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota

I’m Tabitha, a rising sophomore majoring in Horticulture. This summer, I participated in the Sustainable Opportunities in Agricultural Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (SOAR REEU) program at the University of Minnesota. During the program, I learned much about maintaining a community garden and using equipment like the Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) chlorophyll meter to evaluate plant health. Activities that I participated in included various trips to local farms, weeding and maintaining the learning garden, and conducting research on introducing Desert Olive, a deciduous shrub, to Minnesota. My favorite experience this summer was meeting students from across the US and learning about their varying environmental and agricultural interests.