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May 21, 2007 Purcell became an integral member of Cornell Plantations as a student, volunteer and paid employee.
Student profile: Keelin Purcell
Major: Plant science (horticulture concentration) Why did you choose Cornell?
Cornell is one of the best schools for plant sciences, the campus and the town are beautiful, and I'm close to my home. Main Cornell extracurricular activity -- why is this important to you?
My job at Cornell Plantations. I started working at Plantations as a sophomore as a fun way to make some money. As my job responsibilities expanded and my career interests fell in line, Plantations has become a guiding force in my Cornell experience. It has given me valuable career training as well as the chance to work with the wonderful staff there. While at Cornell, what other accomplishments/activities are you most proud of?
I'm a Cornell Tradition fellow, and through that have had a lot of chances to volunteer all over Ithaca, such as at Cayuga Nature Center's Halloween Capers and the Enfield Harvest Festival. This has been very rewarding. I also lived in JAM, the music-themed dorm, for three semesters and am still active in that community, which is very important to me. And I spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, which was a wonderful experience. What Cornell memory do you treasure the most?
I don't think I treasure one memory the most. It's a collection of little things. Climbing through the gorges, watching my friends perform at coffeehouses, going to particularly inspiring lectures ... it all blends together. Did you change direction in any of your beliefs or interests during your time at Cornell?
A big change was becoming interested in public garden education, as well as traditional education as career options, moving away from the normal plant science careers. What are your plans for next year and beyond?
I am doing a one-year visitor education internship at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, during which I hope to get a better feel for public garden education. Beyond that, I hope to some day attend graduate school for education or public garden management. |
