Author: Peyton Ketcher | Major: Horticulture | Semester: Summer 2025

Me in front of Stonehenge

During this past May intersession, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Scotland and England for two weeks. Since hearing about the different faculty-led programs Bumpers College has to offer my freshman year, I have kept interested in taking part in one. In the Fall of 2024, I heard that there would be a trip for my major in Horticulture. After attending an informational meeting about the horticulture study abroad, I decided it was for me, so I immediately started working towards making the trip happen for myself, and I did it! Right after finals ended this May, I immediately had to start packing for the program. In just a couple days I would find myself in Edinburgh for a week, before heading to London for another week. Despite the stress of packing, finals, and international flights, I was unbelievably excited to begin my journey. My goal for this experience was to gain new perspectives on horticulture, and this program did just that and so much more! While abroad, I was able to visit, a wide variety of places, but they all had so much to teach about horticulture. Being able to see a variety of settings that revolve around horticulture allowed me to see just how diverse horticulture can be. While I have been told this, being able to see just how many places horticulture applies in our lives with my own eyes was a priceless experience. One of my favorite experiences was having the opportunity to visit the Scottish Rural College (SRUC). While we were at the college we attended lectures, got tours of their gardens, and saw their one-of-a-kind vertical farm. Being able to sit through some of their lectures was very exciting, especially some of the discussions we were able to have. These discussions were eye-opening, particularly since we brought different perspectives. Getting to visit their gardens was very unique since all of them were created and maintained by their students. The vertical farm was truly fascinating, and a one-of-a-kind experience. Getting to see how intensely managed and efficient the vertical farm is, was very informative.Being a part of the study abroad experience brought me so much new knowledge as well as lessons. One lesson I learned was to not underestimate how big of an impact horticulture has on our society. Even as a horticulture major, at times it can feel like some aspects of what we do aren’t valued, but this is not the case! Being able to see so many areas of horticulture was amazing. What was even better than this was being able to see the impact that horticulture has on so many aspects of our lives. Being able to take a step back and watch the impacts allowed me to see how respected and appreciated horticulture is and should be. For anyone questioning if they should attend a study abroad experience, let me tell you, you should! Studying abroad has allowed me to grow in so many areas of my life. In academics, where I was able to study and learn things from a whole new perspective. Professionally, I was able to create connections around the world and see all of the possibilities of my personal career. I believe where I grew the most was personally. On the trip I grew close to not only my classmates, but also the faculty. Creating the connections, was incredibly valuable to me and taught me so much about myself