I've completed the second semester of my program
with a more-than-full course load. I've been
accepted to the National Collegiate Landscape
Competition team and will be competing in Interior
Plant Identification, Plant Problem Diagnosis, and
Employee Development. I still regularly volunteer
with Heritage Acres and have started volunteering
with Cincinnati Parks. I'm looking forward to all
of the opportunities I know await me, through
my program and after I graduate in 2024. In a
perfect world I'll have the opportunity to be a
land steward at a place like Heritage Acres.
I took a Horticultural Occupations class last semester
and they gave us a selection of a few professional
organizations that could be used for networking;
SMA stood out. I've always found trees fascinating.
I was a bookish kid and would climb the trees at my
grandparents' homes or wander out into the woods.
I found being close to trees peaceful in what was
otherwise a tumultuous upbringing. As an adult I
find myself drawn to learn more about the tech-
nical side of tree care and want to do what I can to
protect such an integral part of our ecosystem.
Trees I've felt particularly connected to in recent
history are the willows (Salix sp.) at Spring Grove
Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati and the
paw paws (Asimina triloba) at Heritage Acres.
The willows always seem to connect with me on
a deeply emotional level; they give me pause
to sit in feelings that are normally considered
uncomfortable. Sitting with a willow and my grief,
disappointment, or general sadness has always felt
cathartic. Pollinating paw paws by hand at Heritage
Acres with my daughter, Scarlett, provided a great
opportunity to educate and bond with her while
showing her a way we can help our environment.
Alexsis with her daughter, Scarlett, after
Scarlett's first dance recital.
Alexsis and her daughter feeding the giraffes at the Cincinnati Zoo.
of my life to be filled
in flow with nature.
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