A group of West Virginia University students recently competed in the Professional Landcare Network Student Career Days event in Manhattan, Kan.

Hosted by Kansas State University, the three-day competition gives collegiate students pursuing majors like horticulture, landscape architecture and agribusiness management and rural development the chance to compete in events directly related to the skills necessary for careers in the green industry.

This year’s contest featured 700 students from 63 colleges and universities across the country.

According to David Davis, visiting assistant professor of horticulture in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, students benefit from participating in events like this in a variety of ways.

“This is a great networking event for students,” he said. “Not only are they able to interact with their peers, but they have the chance to meet with industry representatives during the career fair.”

Sean Walters, a junior agribusiness management and rural development major from Hagerstown, Md., agrees, saying the PLANET event is “incomparable to most other opportunities.”

“It’s really the premier networking and recruitment event in the green industry where students can find real jobs and internships,” he said. “We are also able to compete in events that are directly related to our field that we may not be able to do in the normal school environment; it’s truly an out of class learning experience.”

WVU was represented by 18 students who competed in 28 events. The team finished 25th overall, the highest in the six years WVU has competed.

Students who placed the highest in individual events are: Patrick Lydon, a landscape architecture major from Bethel Park, Pa., third place in interior landscape design; Walters, eighth place in construction cost estimating; John Wagers, a horticulture student from Fairfield, Ohio, ninth place in sales presentation; Kevin Wesley, a horticulture student from Martinsburg, W.Va., 12th place in leadership skills; Ji Choi, a landscape architecture major from Glen Burnie, Md., 14th place in wood landscape plants; Lydon and Peter Boucher, a horticulture student from Robbinsville, N.J, 18th place in irrigation assembly; and Walters and Sam Lewis, a landscape architecture major from Enka, N.C., 21st place in wood construction.

Next year’s event will be held in Auburn, Ala., and hosted by Auburn University.

For more information on Student Career Days, visit http://www.studentcareerdays.org/.

-WVU-

law/05/10/12

CONTACT: Lindsay Willey; Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304.293.2381, Lindsay.Willey@mail.wvu.edu

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