Irving Woodlands scholarship program supports the next generation of plant sciences
Freshly off graduating from high school, Emma McFadgen is already gaining valuable work experience and has a full-time job secured for when she completes university.
Emma is a recipient of Irving Woodlands’ Plant Sciences Scholarship. Awarded to students in agriculture and horticulture-related fields, the program helps with tuition while providing summer employment and a guaranteed position with the company upon graduating.
Growing up on a beef farm in Harvey, N.B., Emma has always been interested in agriculture. When she was younger, Emma said her mom used to tell her that greenhouses were the future for resiliency amid a changing climate. Now, Emma is working in a greenhouse herself, helping to grow the seedlings of the future forest.
In her role as a Student Grower at Juniper Tree Nursery, Emma is responsible for looking after four holding areas, a couple hundred pallets of seedlings in total. Here, she carefully waters, fertilizes and measures the trees and logs data. These seedlings will then be planted during next year’s tree planting season.
“My favorite part is seeing the trees grow,” Emma said. “Seeing them in the greenhouse, when they’re just little sprouts, to when they actually go out into the holding areas, and seeing just how much of a difference there is.”
The summer job is setting Emma up well for when she starts her degree in the fall. In September, Emma is headed to Dalhousie University’s Agriculture Campus in Truro, N.S. to pursue a Bachelor of Agriculture, specializing in environmental science.
“I'm taking classes that specialize in greenhouses,” Emma added. “This work experience gives me a head start, letting me develop a base knowledge of everything and apply that to my schooling.”
The scholarship, summer employment and post-university job are also offering Emma some peace of mind as she embarks on the next stage of her education.
“It’s nice to know that you don’t have to worry after you graduate about finding work,” she said.
