The Daniel J. Patterson Campus flowed with creativity on April 13 as Horticulture, Greenhouse & Landscape students shared their experiential project proposals for the Advanced Communications for Horticulture course.
Working with real-world industry partner Gauld Nurseries, students were tasked with creating a communications proposal focus on designing a visually appealing storefront with a growing area and an educational space to attract customers. Doing so involved navigating a checklist of critical items while staying within a budget and then presenting their ideas directly to representatives from Gauld. With deliverables such as integrating native trees on site, a plan for planting, upkeep of the area and keeping crops clean, students exercised their communication and presentation skills to deliver comprehensive client proposals. As a UNESCO-recognized, Niagara Falls-based greenhouse, Gauld brought the perfect blend of expertise and locality as an industry partner for the project.”The goal of this Communications Assignment was to offer students a program-related authentic experience, and this year, Gauld’s was gracious enough to work with us,” said Tania Fera-VanGent, a Professor in the School of Academic and Liberal Studies. “The idea is for students to develop their written, visual and oral communication skills by creating a proposal with visuals and researching.”
The project allowed students to build essential communication skills that will carry into their careers beyond NC. Whether communicating with their clients or each other, the importance of effective communication was echoed by students in each corner of the classroom.
Amongst the groups presenting were first-year Horticulture Technician & Co-Op students Jill Cope, Olivia Hammond-Srson and Keona Hassan, who designed an area to get families outside and support local businesses. For the group, the project offered an opportunity to draw on knowledge across multiple horticulture courses taken throughout the year, apply what they learned and develop their ability to communicate that knowledge through a comprehensive proposal.
“This was a culmination of our year’s education in comm, so to have that moment where you can display everything you’ve learned since September is really rewarding,” said Hammond-Srson. “Things like our landscaping course helped with our map, and looking back through first semester notes helped us with picking the appropriate trees.”
The project also helped build practical, client-facing skills, reflecting the experiences they will encounter in their future careers. Cope noted that it reinforced the importance of effective communication when working with clients, especially when navigating challenges.
“It’s good to know the skeleton of everything, how to work with people and how to communicate bad news when it arises,” she said. “We can design a new green space, but without that communication to explain the importance of what we are doing, it’s only a design without the context.”
While the groups were given the same instructions, each approached the project from a different angle, leading them to prioritize different challenges, develop their own unique solutions, and communicate them in ways that reflected their personal approach.
For student Damian Mocko’s group, that meant taking a closer look at site-specific considerations within their design.
“There is lots to take into account with a project like this, but specifics like a clay slope in our design meant we had to come up with a unique solution for that.”
Group member Brayden Spagnuolo also highlighted the importance of staying organized to support clear and effective communication.
“Something as small as keeping a logbook to keep stuff organized day-to-day helps a lot,” said Spagnuolo.
The design of the showcase allowed attendees to move from table to table, reviewing each proposal as they moved along. Jaime-lyn Pick saw the value in it as students interacted with the industry professionals.
“One of the neat things about this event was that we were able to receive real-time feedback from the clients, which meant our plans and communication approach had to change along the way,” said the Tillsonburg native. “It allowed us to develop a counter solution and roll with the dynamic element of presenting in this scenario.”
Through detailed plans and in-depth presentations, students were able to show off their work to peers, professors and professionals alike, allowing a realistic project for students to take on as they capped off their years at NC.
