Southeast Missouri State University senior Josh Thibodeauxhas been honored with an American Society for Horticulture Sciences (ASHS)2019 Outstanding Horticulture Student Award.
The award recognizes exceptional undergraduate studentsenrolled in horticulture or in a plant science/crop science department with anemphasis or major in horticulture. Students are nominated by theirinstitutions faculty and selected by ASHS on the basis of their academicachievements, leadership abilities, participation in campus/club activities andservice to their departments.
Thibodeaux, an agribusiness major, horticulture option, fromFestus, Missouri, is one of 13 recipients recognized from across the country in2019.
Being recognized by ASHS is amazing they are a verywell-known organization in the field of horticulture, so to be recognized bythem means a lot, said Thibodeaux. It also feels great to be recognized bySoutheast faculty -- they are some of the brightest minds in their industry, soto be recognized by them is extremely special.
Thibodeaux was nominated for theASHS Outstanding Horticulture Student Award by Dr. Sven Svenson, professor ofagriculture with Southeasts Department of Agriculture.
His hard work in the classroom,where he holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average, along with his contributions to Southeasts horticultureprogram and student organizations made Thibodeaux the perfect choice for thisnational award, Svenson said.
Josh is an elite, top 1 percentstudent at Southeast, Svenson said. He has keen interest and expandingexpertise in all aspects of horticulture. We are very proud of hisaccomplishments.
Thibodeaux is a student employee in Southeasts Charles Hutson Horticulture Greenhouse, where he helps produce commercial crops ranging from poinsettias to Easter lilies to bedding plants.He frequently helps with the Charles Nemanick Alternative Agriculture Garden where he has received hands-on experience with nursery crops, landscape, turf grass and habitat restoration.
He isalso a member of the SEMO Horticulture Club and the Lighthouse Campus Ministry,and has regularly attended industry professional meetings, such as the recentWESTERN in Kansas City, Missouri. Additionally, the Department of Agricultureawarded him the Outstanding Student in Agribusiness: Horticulture Award for the2018-2019 academic year.
During the summer of 2018, Thibodeauxcompleted an internship at Chesterfield Valley Nursery in 2018 where he learnedlandscape design and installation. That experience, coupled with the skills andknowledge he gained at Southeast, led to a full-time job offer. Aftergraduating this May, he will begin his career at Chesterfield Valley Nursery.
The education and experiential learning opportunities he hasreceived at Southeast has helped to prepare him for the next step in hisfuture, Thibodeaux said.
The professors at Southeast have introduced me to people inmy industry and really given me a step up, he said. They helped me find aninternship, and in turn, a job for after graduation. I wouldnt be in theposition I am without them.