UM Student Chosen as Ambassador for Green Industry Conference
Contact: Aimee Dolloff (207) 581-3777
ORONO, Maine — When Meghan McPhee of Boothbay talks about her work in the landscape design field, it’s obvious that she loves what she’s studying. The energetic University of Maine senior is president of UMaine’s Horticulture Club, president of the campus chapter of PLANET, the Professional Landcare Network, and a member of the Alpha Zeta honors fraternity for the college of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.
Now, she’s adding to her resume as one of eight student ambassadors from across the country who have been selected to go to this year’s Green Industry Conference in Louisville, Ky. that runs from Oct. 22-25.
The three-day conference is mostly geared toward industry professionals, but 27-year-old McPhee said the chance to be a student ambassador has the potential to provide opportunities she never dreamed possible.
“It’s going to open up so many doors for employment opportunities that I wouldn’t normally get,” she said. “This is like a worldwide, international opportunity for an amazing job.”
She describes her chosen field of landscape design as interior design for the outside.
“You’re extending the inside living space outside,” McPhee said.
The annual Green Industry Conference is hosted by PLANET, which is an international association for lawn care professionals, landscape management contractors, designers and builders, and interior plantscapers. The organization has about 4,000 member firms.
The student arm of the organization, PLANET Campus, offers students the latest industry and career information. Any school with an accredited two-year or four-year program in the horticulture field may form a student chapter.
At the conference, McPhee and the other student ambassadors will help organize and run the event. They also will participate in a round table discussion with industry leaders where they’ll have a chance to network and ask questions.
Although she started out as a theater major, after a brief break from college McPhee discovered her true passion was landscape and she hopes to find a job with a landscape design company on the East Coast after graduation.
“[Changing majors] was actually probably one of the best moves I’ve ever made in my life,” McPhee said. “The program here is excellent. We’re a close-knit group. It’s a really homey feeling.”