Find Your Future Friday

Description

Join the Office of Integrative Learning and Life Design for a casual talk with Omar Gardner, permitting specialist at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Gardner found enrichment through landscaping projects. "What started out as being a small project when I bought my first home, ignited a flame that refused to be quenched," he says. "Splashing colorful annuals here and there became more and more strategic and structured. It soon gathered the attention of my neighbors and I began assisting them with their gardening projects."

Before he knew it, Gardner had grown his hobby into a business. "My love of nature and design allowed me to express myself in a way that brought tranquility to otherwise drab and boring scenery," he says. "Now, every space is a blank canvas and every client is at peace when I complete their garden."

Gardner has a Master of Science in Environmental Sciences & Policy from Johns Hopkins University and draws design inspiration from aquascaping for aquariums.