Monday, March 27, 2023
Sophia G. Wiest (second from left), of Butler, a landscape/plant production technology student at Pennsylvania College of Technology, holds the third-place certificate she earned in the Construction Cost Estimating category during the National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Mississippi State University. From left are Michael Bogan, president of the National Association of Landscape Professionals; Wiest; first-place winner Emily Morin, of Brigham Young University-Provo; and Jon Smotherman, third-place winner from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. (Credit: Phillippe Nobile Photography for the National Association of Landscape Professionals)
Sophia G. Wiest, a landscape/plant production technology student from Butler, placed third in the Construction Cost Estimating category, fifth in Sales Presentation and 24th overall.
Other team members were William M. Bishop and Ian A. Folsom, Williamsport; Jacob B. Keir, Warren Center; Marshall J. LaBuda, Fogelsville; Grace L. Maneval, Montgomery; Laura A. Snyder, Harrisburg; and Brandon C. Wolfe, Albion. It was the first time attending the NCLC for Bishop, Keir, LaBuda and Snyder; the four others were making a return trip.
“The students continue to impress me in this competition,” said Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture. “These are some of the best students in the country studying landscape contracting, horticulture and plant sciences. The students come away energized by the competition, the career fair, and the networking with other students and industry from around the country.
“It is so easy to be proud of their accomplishments.”
Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture, takes a photo at the same location visited by a Pennsylvania College of Technology team in 2016 (the last time Mississippi State University hosted the rotating National Collegiate Landscape Competition). From left are Penn College students Ian A. Folsom, of Williamsport; Marshall J. LaBuda, of Fogelsville; Jacob B. Keir, of Warren Center; Brandon C. Wolfe, of Albion; Laura A. Snyder, of Harrisburg; Sophia G. Wiest, of Butler; William M. Bishop, of Williamsport; Grace L. Maneval, of Montgomery; and alumni mentor Ronald A. Burger.
The college finished 23rd among 46 schools at the event, which is sponsored by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Top honors went to Cuyahoga Community College.
Accompanying Bower and the students was Ronald A. Burger, a 1978 nursery management graduate of Williamsport Area Community College (a Penn College predecessor) and the 2013 recipient of an alumni Mentorship Award. Befitting the college’s rationale in presenting that award, this was the 11th time that Burger traveled in support of students participating in the NCLC.
In noteworthy performances among the many categories in which Penn College students competed:
In addition to the competition and its related opportunities – including instructional sessions and career networking – students visited the Birmingham (Alabama) Botanical Gardens on their trip.
After a full day of workshops on March 15, Keir said, “I learned so much today, I feel like I already won.”
“NCLC was an inspiring experience,” Snyder added. “The combination of industry leaders, dedicated educators and driven students made me feel fortunate to be a member of the landscaping community."
For more information about the college’s two-year landscape/plant technology major, visit the School of Engineering Technologies or call 570-327-4520.
For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
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