Q&A with a Sustainable Horticulture Alumni
Eva Goodyear shares how CCBC’s Sustainable Horticulture program helped her turn a passion for sustainability into a new career path.
Now in its 25th year, CCBC’s Sustainable Horticulture program combines classroom instruction and hands-on learning to prepare students for careers in plant science, sustainability and environmental stewardship. We sat down with alumna Eva Goodyear to learn more about what drew her to the program, her experience at CCBC and how it helped shape her career path.
A: I was working as a federal employee in a sort of IT-adjacent field. We were constantly hearing, “This is a field that is going to be changing.” I was already passionate about sustainability and horticulture, and I was looking to make a dramatic change in my life. I wasn’t looking for something that was super theoretical. I was looking for something that was very hands-on.
A: A community college program made more sense than going to a four-year university because I knew it was going to be small classes, hands-on and community-centered. [CCBC] is affordable; they have a lot of really great scholarships.
A: I don’t think I realized how much help the actual program would provide me. My first semester within this program, I was able to connect with a job and a position! My professors were able to help and advise me on what the process was.
A: The program expanded my understanding of what horticulture was. There are so many different areas that you can go into; if you’re really into it, you can dig deeper.