Student Spotlight: Paul Young

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT » Paul Young Jr.

Nursery & Landscape Notes is introducing you to the next generation of green industry professionals by featuring current and recent college students with plans to pursue careers in the field.

Student Profile

Name: Paul Young Jr. Hometown: Bolton (Columbus), NC College: University of Mount Olive (bachelor’s degree, 2018) and North Carolina A&T State University (master’s degree, 2021) Major/Area of Study: Agricultural education

Horticulture-Related Places You Have Worked/

Interned: Cape Fear High School (horticulture instructor)

Awards/Recognitions Received:

Agricultural Student Teacher of the Year

How did you discover horticulture?

I discovered horticulture from my grandmother and great-grandmother—really from my whole family. My family loves flowers, and they love to keep their yards beautiful year-round. As a kid I helped out a lot of my family members, so working in the yard became a favorite of mine.

What were your most valuable experiences, either in school or from other exposure to the industry, and why?

The experiences I found most valuable during and after school involved learning plant names and how to identify their species in various ways. Many plants have a lot of different varieties. For example, canna can be solid green, but there are also purple and variegated types.

I also learned how to manage plant sales with my students at three different yearly events: a spring plant sale, a fall mum sale and a Christmas poinsettia sale. During preparations for these events, I teach my students how to do everything from starting the plants to finishing them for sale to our customers. I strive to create a hands-on learning environment in my classroom and in the school’s greenhouses.

What were your favorite college classes, and why?

My favorite college class was Plant Management: Identification and Utilization, during which we learned about the hundreds of plants and pests on the Certified Plant Professional (CPP) list. Learning the differences among plants eventually became second nature to me and helped me find my passion for horticulture. I even helped some of my classmates learn the plants for their CPP certification exams. To my knowledge, I received one of the highest scores to date on the CPP exam for a University of Mount Olive student.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to continue teaching horticulture and exposing students to the industry, to help ensure that we have plenty of well-qualified horticulture professionals for the future.

What advice would you give to a student interested in the field?

My advice is to find an area of horticulture you’re interested in and then devote a lot of time and energy to it. Dedication to and mastery of a specific area will give you so many future opportunities. Also, students should learn as much about the plants in that area as they can, to the point where their skills become second nature.

What is your favorite plant, and why?

My favorite plants are Prunus laurocerasus (Common Cherry Laurel) and Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’ (Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel). As I was spending time learning the differences among plants before the CPP exam, I realized there’s really only one difference between these two: The Common Cherry Laurel is serrated, while the Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel isn’t.

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