Passion for Plants Leads to National Sports Experience

It all started with a little pansy named Petunia – and a wager that sparked a passion.

Erika Beck was a freshman at Tri-Valley High School when she made a bet with a student teacher in her ag program over a tiny donated pansy plug.

“I made a bet with her I could keep it alive,” said Beck, who explained that while she “didn’t hate plants, I had the biggest brown thumb around. I killed every single thing in a week.”

But something about that little pansy she tongue-in-cheek named Petunia – “like naming a cat ‘Dog’” – caused a bond to begin taking root.

“I carried it around everywhere,” Beck said. “To school, to softball, to volleyball, everything. And after that, I realized I enjoyed plants and learning how they grow.”

It didn’t stop there. Petunia became the subject of an Instagram account Beck created to chronicle her. A flower bloomed with baby offshoots.

“She did amazing,” Beck said. “Until the pandemic and then she wasn’t getting carried around school anymore, and it turns out she liked the travel life.”

Petunia the pansy helped something blossom within Beck too. She turned her new love of plants into high school jobs and internships.

“I’ve done everything from work with a wholesaler to floral design, worked in greenhouses and maintenance,” she said. “I still kill plants, but I just enjoy learning about different care styles, and everything was fun, and I just wanted to pursue it farther.”

Her passion led her to the horticulture and turf management programs at Southeast Technical College, where she began classes in August 2023.

“I just liked how it was close to home and well priced, and I enjoyed the smaller class sizes,” she said. “It allowed for a personal experience I liked.”

It also has led her to national opportunities to grow her exposure to the field. Beck, along with classmates, attended the STMA, or Sports Turf Management Association, national conference and student competition last year in Florida. From there, she signed up for a panel discussion and dinner that led to an invitation to participate in a Women in Turf event at this summer’s Little League Softball World Series.

It featured an all-female grounds crew that prepared and maintained the fields during the event.

“It was so much fun,” Beck said. “I was never too interested in the sports turf aspect of the industry, but that definitely opened an avenue for me. I played a lot of softball growing up, and it was cool to see the back side of everything, and they were willing to teach me, and I got great connections.”

The women joked that their mascot was a duck because “they’re the odd ducks – the only women in their company in many cases, but they found each other, and this allows for connection and to promote more women in the industry,” Beck said.

Beck is like many STC students who find opportunities outside the classroom to expand their educational experience while completing their two-year associate degree.

“However, Erika stands out with her upbeat attitude and hard work ethic to capitalize on these unique learning opportunities,” said Cory Borgen, sports turf management instructor in the horticulture technology department at Southeast Technical College.

“In addition to her unique opportunities, we’ve had students such as Ben Kuiters intern with the Atlanta Falcons NFL grounds crew for the summer.”

These opportunities “are not new to us with over 20 years of previous students attending events like this,” Borgen added.

“We have learned a lot about unique opportunities that can help students build on their professional careers before even entering them. Past graduate Ryan Woodly even worked his way to the professional level in MLB as the director of grounds for the Milwaukee Brewers. Ryan has since hired several of our students to fulfill internship requirements before graduation.”

Co-curricular student organizations within the department include NALP, or National Association of Landscape Professionals, and Dakota Turf/GCSAA, or Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

“These student organizations are the driving force for students to work outside their comfort zone to engage with industry professionals and expand hands-on learning while improving personal soft skills,” Borgen said.

“Our enrollment has been steady and even increasing over the past five years, but we need to continue to grow to keep up with industry demands within horticulture, turf and landscaping. The Women in Turf are working hard to try and help with the shortage of workers within the industry and bring awareness of the career.”

For Beck, the future is filled with possibilities.

“Honestly, there’s so much do to with this degree,” she said. “I hope to try and explore a little bit and see everything that’s out there. I personally want to see how big, big companies perform and how they manage the ins and outs of acres and acres of gardens and greenhouses.”

STC’s horticulture and sports turf management programs have had a 100 percent job placement rating for the past several years.

“Our graduates are in high demand and usually commit to employment locally or nationally months before graduation. Some employers are even paying for student tuition with a contract commitment after graduation,” Borgen said. “This shows the quality of our graduates when entering the workforce.”

Those considering a career in horticulture or sports turf management can start by job-shadowing or working part time at a garden center, landscaping company, golf course or city park, Borgen said. Contact the STC admissions office to schedule a tour of the facilities.

Even better: Both the horticulture and sports turf management programs offer full-ride Build Dakota Scholarships, with an application window opening Jan. 1. Learn more here.

“I would tell people it’s a lot of fun and you don’t have to have a green thumb at all,” Beck said. “If you enjoy plants and enjoy being creative, it’s a really, really great program that allows you to have fun while you’re working. Every day, you learn something new, and it’s never the same day twice.”