12 May 2015

Waikato students win horticultural scholarships

4:31 pm on 12 May 2015

Two University of Waikato students have won horticultural scholarships that they hope will help open doors for them in the sector.

Rhiannon Bond, a bachelor of science and technology student, was awarded the $4500 Horticentre Trust Undergraduate Scholarship.

The scholarship will also allow Ms Bond to attend Horticulture New Zealand's annual conference in Rotorua this July and she says jealously played a role in her applying for it.

"And one of my friends who got it last year and he had just the best time at the conference and I was so jealous of him.

"It is like the best part about the scholarship, just meeting all those industry professionals, and my friend said last year that you get teamed up with a mentor, so you get to go and do stuff with them and see what they're all about.

"Because all the people at the conference, they are just like outstanding individuals in their fields, and it actually would just be the coolest experience to go and immerse yourself in a professional setting and learn from the best really."

Ms Bond says she's aiming for a career in plant breeding and fruit development possibly in the citrus or kiwifruit industries.

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