Adrian, MI - When Lillian Helinski walked into her Landscape Plants class in college, she quickly realized something: she had been here before.
Around her, students began the challenge of learning and identifying dozens of plants throughout the semester. For Lillian, many were already familiar. She recognized several and even knew the taxonomic names of some.
Instead of starting from scratch, she was building on a foundation that began at the LISD TECH Center.
Lillian enrolled in the Horticulture program during a time when she was looking for something positive in her life. What she found was an interest that would eventually follow her beyond high school and into college.
“I think the biggest mistake of my life would have been to not join the Horticulture class at the LISD TECH Center,” Lillian said. “I enrolled myself in the program to find solace in a less than stellar time in my life.”
At the LISD TECH Center, Lillian learned much more than how to grow and care for plants. She developed skills in plant identification, landscape equipment, reading landscape plans and other fundamentals of the horticulture industry.
She also put those skills to the test through Michigan FFA.
Lillian and her team competed in the Michigan FFA Nursery and Landscape Skills Contest, ultimately placing first in the state. Her performance also earned her the Certified Green Industry Professional (CGIP) credential.
The credential demonstrated what Lillian had learned, but its value became even clearer after graduation.
When she moved on to college, she began encountering lessons and concepts she had already experienced at the LISD TECH Center.
“I remember the first week of my Landscape Plants class and watching everyone struggle to comprehend the idea of learning that many plants in a semester,” Lillian said. “On the other hand, I already knew and recognized quite a few plants and even knew the taxonomic name of some of them.”
That familiarity made a difference.
“My horticulture class prepared me a lot for my post-high school education and allowed me to walk into my classes feeling more confident than I ever thought I would,” she said.
Today, Lillian is taking another step forward as an intern at Hidden Lake Gardens. The experience has introduced her to the world of public gardening, an area she is now considering for her future career.
“I have found myself falling in love with the world of public gardening,” she said.
For Lillian, horticulture has become much more than a subject she studied in high school. It has provided a place to belong, skills she could carry forward and a growing number of possibilities for her future.
She also hopes other students will consider the opportunities available within the industry.
“Horticulture is so healing and there is an abundance of career paths you can take advantage of, especially considering there is a need for younger people in the industry,” Lillian said. “There is so much variety, and it is so worth taking the time to find out what you specifically want to do.”
Lillian is still discovering exactly where her path will take her. But from the LISD TECH Center to college and now Hidden Lake Gardens, each experience has helped make the next one possible.
What began with a Horticulture class became an industry credential. That credential represented skills she carried into college. And those skills are now helping Lillian find a career where she can continue to grow.