November 16, 2022
Scholarship Recipients 2022
Keegan Stribbell
Keegan Stribbell
Apprenticeship Scholarship $600
Keegan thanked the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation for the scholarship, as well as his employer Dusty Miller Landscaping for their encouragement. Growing up in a small town, Keegan has always had a love for nature, and this opportunity allows him to continue to pursue his passion.

Caleb Faulkner
Caleb Faulkner
College/University Scholarship $1,000
Caleb is currently attending the Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture where looking after plants is his passion. Caleb wants to impact the landscape of Ontario by becoming a consulting arborist and extending the life span of trees in urban conditions.

Benjamin Joy
Benjamin Joy
College/University Scholarship $1,000
In his first year of the Professional Horticulture program at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Ben is immensely grateful to the Foundation for supporting his career path. Ben has spent time all over Canada working in the silviculture industry and as a farmhand, and is looking forward to gaining experience, new skills and quality instruction that will expand his knowledge base in horticulture.

Philip Kloet
Philip Kloet
College/University Scholarship $1,000
Philip has been working in the landscape industry for the past three summers with his father’s business, Rock Crest Landscapes. During that time, Philip has aspired to create unique quality landscapes that serve meaning to customers. This passion led him to attend Fanshawe College to study landscape design.

Ashley Legge
Ashley Legge
College/University Scholarship $1,000
Ashley took the landscaping and horticulture SHSM program in high school and completed a co-op placement with a landscaping company. Currently a first year landscape architecture student at the University of Guelph, Ashley looks forward to using her knowledge and experience to create designs that better the environment and society.

Madelyn Pilkey
Madelyn Pilkey
College/University Scholarship $1,000
Madelyn’s passion for plants began at a seasonal job in a garden centre in her hometown of Bowmanville, Ont. She now studies plants on a greater scale in the Horticulture Technician program at Niagara College. Her interest in horticulture stemmed from discovering the beauty within native landscapes and their greater impacts within communities.

Leigha Poortinga
Leigha Poortinga
College/University Scholarship $1,000
Growing up in an agricultural community her entire life, Leigha’s passion for horticulture stemmed from starting a job at a local greenhouse, garden centre, and landscape design business five years ago. She can’t wait to explore the many opportunities this field of work has to offer.

Kira Varvanina
Kira Varvanina
College/University Scholarship $1,000
With an architectural degree and a Horticultural Landscape Certificate from Niagara College, Kira hopes to combine her two great passions — design and nature — in order to create a shift toward more sustainable and nature-friendly landscapes. A Toronto resident, her goal is to encourage city dwellers to embrace and cherish surrounding natural habitats.

Estefania Bermeo Jimenez
Estefania Bermeo Jimenez
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Currently studying Environmental Landscape Management at Seneca College and with a background in architecture, Estefania has used her design and creative skills to create beautiful gardens in her courses. Passionate about horticulture and nature, her goals include becoming a Landscape Architect and providing sustainable spaces that offer recreation, education and cultural opportunities for everyone.

Laura Delorme
Laura Delorme
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Currently in her final year of Ornamental Horticulture studies at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Laura’s journey as an apprentice is coming to an end. She is looking forward to expanding her network and finding fulfilling work in the industry.

Angelica Deveros
Angelica Deveros
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
After a very sedentary 17-year career in television production, Angelica decided it was time for a change and chose to study the field of horticulture because it allows her to work outside and be active while still getting the chance to be creative. In her second year at Humber college, she has found a love for plants and garden design and looks forward to a career where she can bring beauty to people’s landscapes.

Kaitlyn Erickson
Kaitlyn Erickson
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
In her final year of Landscape Design at Fanshawe College, Katie is currently maintaining gardens at Riverbend Golf Community, working alongside her professor and learning about how to maintain spaces. She is excited to get into the industry and intends to implement sustainable design practices and native species in her work. She is passionate about strengthening ecosystems and getting people engaged with the outdoor world.

Saba Harvey
Saba Harvey
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Saba is currently completing her second year of studies at Seneca College in the Environmental Landscape Management Program. She has a passion for working outdoors and is especially interested in ecological landscape design and urban agriculture. She is excited to start a new career in the landscape industry and work alongside colleagues who value the principles of environmental stewardship.

Tyler Haywood
Tyler Haywood
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Tyler enjoys the hands-on portion of the program at Niagara College and looks forward to classes held on campus.Tyler looks forward to the prospect of a bright future, by gaining the education needed in order to be successful in doing something he loves.

Jenifar Islam Juthi
Jenifar Islam Juthi
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Jenifar is currently pursuing the Environmental Landscape Management Program. She became interested in the landscape industry when she dove into horticultural research during her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. She aspires towards landscape research supplementing creative and artistic landscape designs.

Daniel Mack
Daniel Mack
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
Daniel Mack has been working in landscaping for 15 years. He was trained on the job, acquiring expertise in pond and water feature maintenance as well as fine-detailed bed grooming. Since going out on his own, he has shifted focus onto native plants and permaculture techniques. He is currently enrolled at Seneca College, through which he has successfully written grants in support of the installation and maintenance of a forest garden.

An Nguyen
An Nguyen
Post-Secondary Scholarship $1,000
An Nguyen took a different turn in her career from the financial industry by enrolling in the Landscape Technician program at Humber College to pursue her passion for plantation and gardening design. She aspired to urban landscape design for its essential contribution to developing green and healthy living conditions and improving urban environment quality.

Ethan Aquino-Chien
Ethan Aquino-Chien
Post-Graduate Scholarship $1,000
Ethan is currently in his final year of his Masters of Landscape Architecture at University of Guelph. He is researching and writing his thesis on the design principles relating to safe integration of disc golf courses into existing mix use green spaces. He hopes to share his passion for the growing sport in a safe and sustainable way where all parties of the outdoor space can co-exist.

Craig Klomp
Craig Klomp
Post-Graduate Scholarship $1,000
A current graduate student pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph, Craig’s undergraduate studies were focused in Architectural and Environmental Studies from the Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto. His main passion is environmental landscape architecture, specializing in sustainable landscape architecture and its practices. Craig aspires to become a leader and advocator in the space of sustainability and landscape architecture while practicing deep community engagement as a designer.

Melissa Kooiman
Melissa Kooiman
Post-Graduate Scholarship $1,000
A graduate student at the University of Guelph pursuing an MLA degree, Melissa fell in love with the industry six years ago while on a summer position with a local company in Wellington County. She hopes to give back and plans to use her MLA degree to pursue both private landscape design and post-secondary level instruction.

Sophia Bearden
Sophia Bearden
Horst Dickert Scholarship $1,000
For several years, Sophia had been working as a baker and after being laid off due to COVID-19, decided to use the opportunity to start a new career in a field that truly inspires her. After completing her first year of the Landscape Technician program at Humber College, she had the opportunity to work at the Humber Arboretum, where she gained hands-on experience controlling invasive species and restoring naturalized landscapes.

Adam Fundytus
Adam Fundytus
Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship $1,000
In his third year at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Adam has come to appreciate how valuable large green spaces are to communities and the people within them. He looks forward to a career that nurtures nature and hopes to use his positive attitude and work ethic to enhance public gardens or to help establish new ones.

Manuel Spiller
Manuel Spiller
Tony DiGiovanni Scholarship $1,000
Manuel Spiller is a design intern for NAK Design Strategies in Ottawa, Ont., a teaching assistant and Master of Landscape Architecture student at the University of Guelph. Manuel studies hospitals’ tree coverage to understand the factors for well-treed sites, and Chair of One Bench One Tree — an organization donating trees and benches for rest to hospitals to commemorate healthcare workers for their sacrifices during the pandemic. He is also advocating for barefoot paths, linear, and family playscapes.