MEET HRI SCHOLARS
The Wright Family of Alabama Scholarship
Wright’s Nursery & Greenhouse, Inc. is a small, family-owned and operated business located in central Alabama. The Wright family has been farming for many generations and began growing plants in the late 1960’s. They grow a diverse selection of annuals, herbs, perennials, tropicals, and vegetables that are sold at local independent garden centers throughout central and north Alabama. The business started from what most would consider a horrific accident. David Wright, Jr. lost his right arm in a farming accident at the age of 14. He now considers it as one of the best things to have happened to him. Without the accident, they would not have started the nursery and greenhouse business, nor would he have had the chance to attend Auburn University where he earned a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and met his future wife, Martha. Their son, Davy and his wife, Heather, now own and operate the farm.
Lauren Staley
North Carolina State University
Lauren is a senior at North Carolina State University majoring in horticulture with a minor in Agricultural Business Management. She completed a two-year transfer program through Alamance Community College where her interest in the industry flourished. She gained her knowledge and skills by working as the greenhouse manager for ACC managing three campus greenhouses and a nursery. Lauren served as the secretary and president for the horticulture club throughout her time at ACC. She attended seminars and events such as the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, the International Plant Propagators Society, and the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Inspired by an internship at Plantworks Nursery, Lauren aspires to have a career in Greenhouse and Nursery Management, contributing to the production industry.
The Spring Meadow—Proven Winners Scholarship Fund
Bright, well-trained, and qualified people are essential to the nursery industry, and that's what inspired Dale and Liz Deppe to create the Spring Meadow—Proven Winners Scholarship Fund in 1999. The fund is dedicated to helping aspiring students from across the country obtain a degree in horticulture. The Spring Meadow team has been blessed by this industry and the mentors who've helped them along the way. This scholarship fund is their way of giving back and sharing the excitement for plants and the nursery industry with others.
Ramsey Arram
North Carolina State University
Ramsey Arram earned a bachelor's in biology with concentrations in botany and environmental Science from UNC Pembroke. He has worked as a lead grower on two organic farms and grew over 700 cultivars at Plant Delights Nursery. He has worked on organic farms and nurseries across the state of North Carolina, and from Sacramento to Orleans in northern California. He is earning a master's degree in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University. He has focused on polyploidy induction experiments that can have effects on fertility and morphological characteristics. He is a vice president of perennial plants in the Pi Alpha Xi, and an officer of the NCSU Horticultural Science Government Student Association. Dr. Hsuan Chen worked with him very closely on seven breeding projects in 2023. Ramsey will continue to work for Dr. Chen's Ornamental Breeding and Cytogenetics program at NCSU as his research technician following graduation.
Anna Baloh
University of Kentucky
Anna Baloh is obtaining her degree in Horticultural Science with a minor in Sustainable Agriculture and a certificate in Urban and Community Forestry. She conducts undergraduate research that focuses on plant propagation and molecular biology. Anna is also the President of the Horticulture Club at UK and is able to share her love for all things horticulture with students and the community. Anna plans to continue her education by attending graduate school in the future to pursue plant breeding.
Landon Erbrick
Auburn University
Landon is a senior at Auburn University majoring in Horticulture. His interest in horticulture began when he started with his grandfather. Over time, Landon grew both his skills and industry interest while working for a local landscape company. Landon is the President of Auburn University’s Landscape and Nursery Association, where he works to connect his peers with those in the industry. Landon is an undergraduate research assistant and has presented research at the American Society of Horticultural Sciences (ASHS) conference. Landon is keenly interested in nursery and greenhouse production and looks forward to one day involving the community through agritourism.
Kayla Morrison
Oklahoma State University
Kayla Morrison is currently pursuing a Masters’ Degree in Horticulture at Oklahoma State University, having previously earned her Bachelor’s Horticulture Science with a minor in Pest Management in December 2021. A busy mother of three, Kayla is passionate about all things green and blooming and notes that her career ambition sprouts from a desire to cultivate knowledge and sow the seeds of horticultural wisdom in others.
Yongjun Yue
University of Georgia
Yongjun Yue is a PhD student from Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Genomics at the University of Georgia. He currently works on crape myrtle breeding in the UGA woody ornamental lab to develop new cultivars with novel traits. His interests focus on plant propagation and plant breeding. His future goal is to become a plant breeder working on woody and perennial ornamentals.
The Carville M. Akehurst Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Carville M. Akehurst Memorial Scholarship was established in 2002 by the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, Inc. (MANTS). This scholarship serves to memorialize Mr. Akehurst who served the horticultural industry as one of the founders of MANTS. MANTS established this scholarship with the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) with the belief that the strength and future success of the horticulture industry lies in the solid education of today's students. MANTS' establishment of this scholarship reflects Mr. Akehurst's firm belief that education begets one the opportunity to achieve.
Katelyn Wissinger
Virginia Western Community College
Katelyn Wissinger is an undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree in environmental Horticulture. She is currently earning an Associates of Science degree that she hopes to transfer to Virginia Tech where she can complete this major. After graduation her goal is to gain real world experience within the industry before setting up her own small business. She is currently exploring the different areas that she would like to work in such as production of plants and landscape design.
The Susie & Bruce Usrey Education Scholarship Fund & The Usrey Family Scholarship Fund
Susie and Bruce Usrey of Monrovia Growers Inc. established the Usrey Family Scholarship in 2001 and the Susie & Bruce Usrey Education Scholarship in 2009. The Usrey family considers graduating students in horticulture to be the lifeblood of the green industry. These scholarships are awarded annually to horticulture students enrolled in a California state university or college.
Yufei Qian
University of California, Davis
Yufei Qian is a third-year doctoral student in the Horticulture and Agronomy graduate group at University of California, Davis. She is the recipient of the Susie & Bruce Usrey Education Scholarship. Qian’s research interest is on the combination of plant breeding and Controlled Environment Agriculture, with a preference on horticultural crops. Yufei completed both her BS and MS degrees at UC Davis. During her PhD time, Yufei trained 14 undergraduate students to operate the UC Davis indoor vertical farm. She hopes to work in the thriving indoor Ag industry in the future.
Jorge Millan Rodriguez
California Polytechnic University
Jorge Millan Rodriguez is an undergraduate student at California Polytechnic University, located in San Luis Obispo. He is the recipient of the Usrey Family Scholarship. Rodriguez is majoring in Agricultural Plant Sciences with a fruit and crop concentration, looking to delve into the specialty crops industry. His passion began as a child where he grew up visiting various berry fields and accompanying his dad on the job. Jorge’s wishes to foster a more sustainable and automated future for crop growth and explore the world of plant breeding and genetics. In the meantime, however, he will continue to work as a research assistant and at Cal Polys orchard fields.
The Bryan A. Champion Memorial Scholarship Fund
Bryan A. Champion, president of Herman Losely & Son, Inc. in Perry, Ohio, was a 5th generation nurseryman with a passion for the nursery and landscape industry. Champion understood the value of a quality education and the importance of industry research. Bryan passed away on November 10, 2011 at the age of 47. In honor of his legacy and dedication to the nursery and landscape industry, his peers established The Bryan A. Champion Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Lillian Pinkelman
Ohio State University
Lillian Pinkelman is a senior finishing her Sustainable Plant Systems Bachelors with a specialization in Horticulture. She discovered her love for horticulture working for her local garden center in high school, and went on to discover what the field had to offer at The Ohio State University Wooster Campus. Lillian grew as a student and future industry professional at her internships for Foertmeyer and Sons NW Greenhouse and Ball Horticultural as the Darwin Perennials Product Development Intern. She is currently planning on graduating in Spring of 2024 and is looking forward to contributing to the innovation of the horticulture industry.
The Timothy S. and Palmer W. Bigelow, Jr. Scholarship Fund
The scholarship was created in 1988 by the Bigelow family to aid students from New England who are seeking a career in horticulture. The scholarship was dedicated initially to one of the family's children, the late Timothy Bigelow. At Palmer W. "Bill" Bigelow's death, the name of its creator was added. The Bigelow family considers student scholarships the most important commitment the horticultural industry can make to ensure the growth and development of the nursery and landscape industry.
Cassandra Madru
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Cassandra Madru is an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst working towards her B.S. in Arboriculture and Community Forest Management. She is an arborist at Bartlett Tree Experts in Northampton where she is able to provide tree care based on the industry standards. In the future Cassandra plans on attending graduate school to study entomology.
The Mugget Scholarship
The Mugget Scholarship is one of HRI’s oldest scholarship funds, started by a group of industry folks who used to get together for social events at various ANLA and other industry events. So, what’s a Mugget? The Mugget Growers of America (MGA) was established back in 1981. (I like to imagine that the notion was conceived somewhere near a bar.) The group would meet at various industry events to discuss important plant issues regarding the development of a new (pretend) plant called ‘Mugget.’ During those “meetings,” they’d raise money for Horticultural Research Institute, ultimately creating and growing a scholarship fund of over $50,000.
Debasish Paul
North Carolina State University
Debasish Paul is pursuing a Ph.D. in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on the sustainability of the annual bedding plants supply chain. Before joining NC State, Paul completed a Masters’ degree in Agricultural Production Chain Management at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, supported by the Orange Knowledge Programme Scholarship. Paul aspires to become an academic researcher and focus on making the green industry's supply chain transparent and sustainable to bring about positive changes within the field.
Alumni Scholars
