Scott Arboretum Hosts Career Discovery Event

Horticulture, the art or practice of garden cultivation and management, can be a hobby or a career, as Youth Development United families learned at our latest Career Discovery event at Scott Arboretum on the campus of Swarthmore College

Scott Arboretum staffers and volunteers graciously shared their interests and experiences at a variety of learning stations in the facility’s Wister Center. Each one expressed a love of gardens, and yet many had made careers out of other sorts of work. The group included a nurse, a professor, a college administrator focused on helping students study abroad, and a trainer of service dogs as well as a plant curator and a horticulturist.

Upon arrival, participants were given a booklet that contained a career interest assessment and suggested interview questions for the experts on hand. After going around the room collecting information, they were encouraged to test their observation skills in a scavenger hunt outside around the garden. Then, the group was treated to a brief tour of the grounds and a delicious lunch at the college’s new dining hall.

Rachel Warren, Assistant Education Programs Manager for Youth, Families and Diverse Audiences at Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, put together the program and made everyone feel very welcome to return to the stunning grounds anytime, as they are free and open to the public every day of the year. Youth Development United families are specifically invited back on June 3 for sister organization Chester Upland Youth Soccer “Goals in Gardens” event.

Participants were able to bring home more than just great memories of an interesting day. Generous care packages of healthy groceries and toiletries were provided to all families thanks to support from Sun East Foundation, the charitable arm of Sun East Federal Credit Union created in 2011 to serve the health, education, and well-being of those in the Greater Brandywine Valley Area.  The Foundation provides funds to registered 501(c)3 organizations with the primary focus on schools, charitable and community organizations that support the development of youth, and other humanitarian efforts.

YDU’s next Career Discovery event is scheduled for March 18 at Widener University's College of Health & Human Services. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about jobs in physical therapy, occupation therapy and speech-language pathology there.