With a particular vision for her 23-acre farm, Lindy Brunarski enrolled in NC’s Horticultural Technician program out of pure interest. She finds being outside in nature while tending to her garden beds and large vegetable garden, a mental reprieve from her work as a frontline paramedic. Brunarski, who graduates on June 19 as a Dean’s Award recipient, calls herself a proud “horticultural paramedic.”
We checked in with Brunarski, a triple NC graduate, to find out more about her love of gardening and how she plans to apply her education to her own property.
Lindy Brunarski
Hometown: Fordwich, Ontario (currently lives in Welland/Pelham)
Program: Horticultural Technician
Academic achievement: Dean’s Award, School of Environment and Horticulture Studies (97%)
How do you feel about receiving the Dean’s Award, achieving the highest GPA in your program?
I am somewhat surprised and proud of myself as I had a pretty busy schedule while in school. I do feel I have a bit of an advantage with going back to school out of choice/interest and not necessity. With that said, perhaps I didn’t need to dedicate as much time to my studies as I did, but I was genuinely interested and I am somewhat of a perfectionist.
To what factors do you attribute your academic success? What motivates you to succeed?
I have been playing around in gardens for a very long time and because I was genuinely interested in what I was learning, I was able to apply a few assignments to my daily life at the farm. I sacrificed a good 16 months of my life going back to school and that tuition money could have easily gone elsewhere, so that was a big motivation for learning the most and doing my best.
What led you to study at NC and to your program specifically?
The love of gardening and location. I’m also a NC alumna from the Paramedic program (2005) and Advanced Care Paramedic program (2008).
What interests you about your field of study?
Even as a child I had many houseplants in my bedroom that I cared for. My parents always had beautiful flower beds and a high school boyfriend of mine had parents with the most amazing yard and gardens. I think that’s where it all really began for me, seeing how they created their own oasis, which was such an amazing environment to be in.
I also find that the mental reprieve that I need for my work as a paramedic is often found by being
outside in nature or in the garden beds.
Do you have a specific career goal in mind? Do you feel that completing your program will help you achieve that goal?
I bought a small 23-acre farm in 2012 with a long-term vision for the property. There is a forest to manage, turf to maintain and I now have 19 large flower beds throughout the property and a large vegetable garden. My goal is to have my property be a public gathering space for events including family gatherings, weddings, and small craft markets, as well as offering well-marked walking trails through the forest. The farm also includes five acres of agricultural land that I would like to convert to a small nursery and market garden someday. There were so many lessons I learned from the horticulture program that will help me achieve my goals.
What was your situation when you enrolled at NC?
I was working as a paramedic for nearly 14 years in two different services (Niagara and Haldimand) and I rent out my farm as a short-term rental. I kept all those things going while in school, so it was a busy life for a while.
How did you find your program experience – what stands out to you? What did you find rewarding or particularly beneficial?
The faculty stands out first because they were incredible. This is something I took on out of pure interest and the staff allowed me to apply a lot of the assignments to my own property, which has helped me immensely with my future plans. There have been so many improvements already that I’ve been able to make to my property and I currently have a COVID vegetable garden that is pretty big and pretty cool – thanks MJ! Also, the Montreal trip was amazing, and I would go again if I could.
What does graduating mean to you personally?
I am now a proud horticultural paramedic and I like the diversity of my education. I never did go to my paramedic graduations but was looking forward to my horticultural graduation because I loved the program/faculty/classmates and it was something I took because I wanted to and not because I needed a job.
What have you been doing since completing your studies? What are your future plans?
At present, I have 19 flower beds that I am always maintaining and improving. I also established a decent size vegetable garden this year with the intent of giving the extra produce to local food banks. I am going to be applying my knowledge towards developing the farm to the dreams I have envisioned for it. I seem to be asked a lot of horticultural questions now while working in the ambulance and I’ve helped friends with their flowerbeds, too.
Niagara College is celebrating its 5,000 spring graduates with its first-ever virtual convocation ceremonies from June 15-19. Visit the College’s Virtual Convocation site to view the schedule or to access the livestream ceremonies: niagaracollege.ca/virtualconvocation/.
