Resident Pam Mills, a substitute teacher in the East Windsor Regional School District who has four grown children, is back in school herself at Mercer County Community College (MCCC).
After studying computer technology at Mercer decades ago, this time around, Ms. Mills said college is all about personal satisfaction.
An avid gardener, Ms. Mills is pursuing her associate degree in ornamental horticulture.
“I am back for my own benefit in order to become a better gardener. I want to learn how to do things right,” Ms. Mills said, noting that gardening is a passion she shares with her 85-year-old mother, who lives in Lawrence Township.
Ms. Mills is also becoming a go-to expert for neighbors and friends and in her more official capacity as president of the Garden Gate Garden Club in Lawrence.
“People want to know what plants and flowers will work best in wet conditions, in lots of sunshine and in high heat,” she said. “They want to know whether to plant a tree or shrub in a particular place and when is the best time for pruning.”
She started off with a plant science course in fall 2014 and then took ornamental horticulture and woody plants. This summer she is finishing up a 270-hour cooperative education course.
While most students work at area nurseries or gardening centers, Ms. Mills is focusing her considerable energy right on MCCC’s West Windsor campus, under the guidance of senior technical assistant Marie Wszolek.
Ms. Wszolek said Ms. Mills is one of the most dedicated students she has ever worked with.
Program Coordinator Amy Ricco, who originally met Ms. Mills and her mother when Ms. Ricco was a guest speaker for the Garden Gate Garden Club, is pleased to count Ms. Mills among her students. In addition to her hands-on assignments around the campus, Ms. Mills has been helping Ms. Ricco digitize instructional slides of insects and plant diseases.
Clearly, Mills has plenty on her do-to list.
“I water plants, weed, trim trees. I worked on the garden in front of the library before commencement. There is always so much to take care of, because everything keeps growing. There is never enough time,” Ms. Mills said, adding that most people do not appreciate how much work is involved and how constant the process is of keeping landscapes well-groomed and healthy.
Ms. Mills is in it at MCCC for the long haul.
“I will be one of those long-term students,” she said of her plan to take one or two courses each semester until she completes her degree.
“I have a full-time job, but I still look forward to coming here for classes in my favorite topic — plants and gardens,” Ms. Mills said. “I love gardening and I want to do more. I am having fun.”
Ms. Mills said that being back in school has had the unexpected benefit of making her a more effective teacher.
“As a substitute teacher, I am often assigned to science classes and I am able to draw on my knowledge from my Mercer classes,” she said.
And, as a student herself she is also able to dispense better, more authentic advice to students.
“I know how much effort the studying, the note taking and the homework takes,” she said.
Next up for Ms. Mills in the fall are courses in basic landscaping and herbaceous plants.
Ms. Mills said it’s all a labor of love for her.
“I am excited about being in the classroom,” she said. “I will do more to make sure I understand, not just what I need to know for a test. I really appreciate what I am learning.”
While returning adult students are not uncommon at Mercer, Ms. Ricco notes that MCCC’s horticulture program has a particularly wide age range.
“Our students range from 18 year olds and to folks in their 70s,” Ms. Ricco said. “For a student like Pam, who loves gardening and especially wants to learn more about pruning, using the Mercer campus as her learning lab is great way to provide a co-op experience that will truly be valuable.”
More information about ornamental horticulture and plant science at MCCC is available at www.mccc.edu.
