Help Us Grow: USU Students Target National Landscape Competition with Industry Ambitions

Students in Utah State University’s Residential Landscape Design and Construction program are preparing to represent their university at the National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC), a multi-day event that draws top landscaping students and industry leaders from across the country.

The program at USU prepares students to enter the landscape industry with a combination of design expertise and technical skills. Attending events like the NCLC gives students the chance to put their training to the test, connect with industry leaders, and explore the wide range of careers available in the green industry. The team’s participation in the competition is supported in part by donor contributions that help cover travel and registration costs.

Elyse Reilly, a student from Reno, Nevada, is focused on the opportunities NCLC offers for industry engagement and personal growth.

“There are going to be so many employers there, but also other students who are in the same boat as me,” said Reilly. “I’m really excited to meet other people from the other half of the country and hear about their experience.”

She sees the competition as a way to apply what she’s learned in the classroom in a professional setting.

“It’s going to be great to be able to put some of the things that I've been learning in class into real-world applications,” she said.

Lydia Thurgood, from Lehi, Utah, will participate in the sales pitch portion of the competition. She sees it as a unique chance to practice design communication and client engagement.

“I get to pitch to them my ideas that I've come up with for their design,” she said. “I propose the whole program to them with the prices included.”

Thurgood believes that technical knowledge, particularly in soil and water science, is essential for modern landscape design.

“We're able to keep a lawn green and lush with way less water than we are using right now,” she said. “We're able to do that for our beddings as well, and trees, flowers, and everything that you'd want in a yard.”

Teresa Lara, who is from Salt Lake City, was drawn to Utah State’s Residential Landscape Design and Construction program because it aligned with her commitment to sustainability and environmental design.

“I am passionate about sustainability,” she said. “There’s a place for those two things—green infrastructure and sustainable development—in the landscape architecture industry.”

Lara hopes NCLC will open professional doors and provide insight into how businesses in the field operate.

“I want to go to NCLC to get my foot in the door,” she said. “I want to network and hope to land an internship.”

Mason Apke, a student from Massachusetts, competed at NCLC last year. He said the event shifted his career ambitions.

“It really opened my eyes to the career opportunities that are in this field,” he said. “I got to talk with these billion-dollar companies doing landscaping, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities.”

Apke emphasized the value of formal education in landscape work, both in scientific understanding and in expanding career prospects.

“Having a degree really just opens the doors to those opportunities,” he said. “It’s helped me implement better ideas, better strategies of installing landscapes, and helped me make a better product.”