Careers in Gardening Interview Series

Welcome to The Garden Gate! This interview series brings on guests who are in a variety of garden-related careers. We hope to inspire a new generation of students to join careers related to gardening and demonstrate that through their careers, they can create sustainable change in our world. Listen in to learn more about different careers in gardening!

Season 2

Ashley Hocking

Ashley is co-president of the American University community garden. Listen to Ashley’s episode to learn more about community gardens on a college campus!

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Stephanie DeStefano

Stephanie is a grounds operations manager at American University. Listen to Stephanie’s episode to learn more about how she manages the landscape duties at a college campus!

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Mike Mastrota

Mike is a landscape architect who has worked at American University for 25 years! Listen to Mike’s episode to learn more about what it’s like to manage a certified arboretum!

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Virginia Thaxton

Virginia is a Smithsonian Gardens horticulturist who works to beautify Smithsonian’s interior spaces. Listen to Virginia’s episode to learn more about her unique pathway into horticulture!

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Season 1

Ryan Gooch

Ryan is a former Smithsonian Gardens intern who now works at an outdoor pre-school in Washington state. Listen to Ryan’s episode to learn more about how education and public garden careers can merge!

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Sydney Felder is an American University student who is passionate about plants. Check out Sydney’s episode to see how she is working to create change with the University community garden.

Sydney Spencer

Sydney is an American University student who is passionate about plants. Check out Sydney’s episode to see how she is working to create change with the University community garden.

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Philip Evich, Horticulturist for Smithsonian Gardens

Phillip Evich

Phillip is a Pathways Horticulturist at Smithsonian Gardens. He is 26 and has accomplished so much in his career already. Listen to Phillip’s episode to learn more!

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Eboni Preston

Eboni works at the Greening Youth Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia as their Director of Operations. She is passionate about connecting youth with their dream careers in plant-based fields. Check out Eboni’s episode to learn more about what you can do now to achieve your career goals!

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Zannah Porter

Zannah Porter is the Director of Operations at Green City Growers, an urban farming company based in Sommerville, MA. They oversee the installations and the horticultural aspects of the company.

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Kira Burba was the co-leader for this project and a senior at American University during the creation of this project. She graduated with her bachelor’s in elementary education in May 2021. She cares deeply about making science education accessible to all students and providing her students with the resources they need to achieve their dreams. In her free time she enjoys cooking and experimenting with recipes, camping, and cycling.

Caroline MacDonald is the other co-leader for this project and a senior at American University. She graduated with her bachelor’s in Communication Studies and a Minor in Art History in May 2021. She is passionate about museums and public access to information and plans to pursue a masters in archival studies. In her free time she enjoys cooking, hiking, and painting.

Megan Hastie is a sound designer with experience in live sound, studio recording, and audio engineering. She graduated from American University in 2020 with dual degree BAs in Audio Production and Musical Theatre. She is passionate about collaborative storytelling and education as a tool for empowerment. She loves spending time with her cats and exploring the city.

Yena You is a member of the American University class of 2023 with a major in Public Relations and Strategic Communications and a minor in creative writing. For this project, she was the graphic designer of the Garden Gate cover and worked on marketing and advertising on social media platforms. She is passionate about creating art for the world to see and enjoy, and would love to one day work as a graphic designer.

Nicolette Kelly is a rising senior at American University majoring in audio production and minoring in business and entertainment. She has experience editing and mixing podcasts; recording foley; and sound designing short animated films. She is passionate about anything relating to audio and aspires to work in live and recorded sound. In her free time she enjoys singing, hiking, biking, and practicing yoga.

Emily Warshaw is a senior at American University majoring in Elementary Education with minors in Special Education and Sociology. For this project she served as the Education Specialist, creating the Education Toolkit for each episode of Garden Gate. She is passionate about making educational content that is accessible to all learners, arts integrative education practices, and culturally sustaining teaching methods. In her free time, she enjoys writing, rowing Crew, gardening, and singing.

Season 2

Ashley Hocking

Stephanie DeStefano

Mike Mastrota

Virginia Thaxton

Season 1

Ryan Gooch

Sydney Spencer

Phillip Evich

Eboni Preston

Zannah Porter

Garden Gate Career Exercise