Alumni Profiles - Meet Kellie Cox
Hometown: Newark, DE
Year of Graduation: 2009
Majors: Landscape Horticulture, Plant Science
Undergraduate Campus Involvement:
President of the Plant and Soil Science Club 2007-2009, Vice President of the Horticulture Club 2006-2007, Co-Designer of the first trial garden for the UD Botanic Gardens, Student design and installation of the UD native wetlands
Current Position of Employment or Education:
Landscape Designer and Scientific Illustrator
Describe your best Ag experience:
My entire experience studying at the Ag school was great; the most memorable Ag experience was developing the wetland on the CANR campus my senior year with Chad Nelson as an independent study.
Which Ag course was your favorite and why?
My favorite Ag course is hard to say, since I enjoyed most of them! I would have to say the “Woody Plant Materials” class with Dr. John Frett, since that class was most valuable and challenging to me.
Tell us about your current position or program of study and what led you to that field.
I am currently a landscape designer for The Plantsmen Nursery in Groton, New York. I also am a scientific and botanical illustrator for Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During my time at the Ag school the landscape design courses were being offered, so I became very involved in that field of study. Being an artist I felt it was a great blend of my interests - art and horticulture. I've been involved with art my entire life, and I had no idea that I was able to actually have a career in art. Taking the design courses along with field sketching helped push me towards having this career.
How did your College of Ag experiences prepare you for your current job or post-graduate education?
The College of Ag was immensely helpful in preparing me for my career. Not only introducing the idea of these careers, the school helped me with the knowledge, resources, and the networking skills to be a successful landscape designer and illustrator.
What advice do you have for students interested in your field?
My advice for students who are interested in pursuing any related field in landscape design or art is networking. Networking is the most important part of being successful. The idea of networking is connecting with other people in the related field. Don't be afraid to go above and beyond when applying for a position. The jobs I currently hold were gained strictly through networking - via friends, colleagues, the internet and being involved in the community/schools.
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