The John A. Wott Botanic Gardens Endowed Student Award was awarded this spring to Sarah Shank, a first-year Master of Environmental Horticulture student at the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.

A native of Pennsylvania, Sarah recently moved to Seattle for graduate school and is enjoying the opportunity to learn about the diverse flora of the Pacific Northwest. Although she pursued a fine arts degree, she worked as a gardener throughout her undergraduate career and eventually found her way back to horticulture post-graduation as a nursery horticulturist. Sarah’s main focus during her program has been with the Society for Ecological Restoration-UW Chapter’s Native Plant Nursery at the Center for Urban Horticulture, which she co-manages with a fellow graduate student. She is also passionate about plant conservation and enjoys helping with the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation program, doing germination testing and plant monitoring. Her favorite plant changes on a weekly basis.