Introducing Elizabeth - The Garden Whisperer

Elizabeth Shin
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture​

When I was younger, my Korean grandmother would make annual summer trips to my family’s home in Central California. My favorite activity we did together was pick blueberries at Rancho Notso Grande, our local blueberry farm. We would spend hours plucking the fattest blueberries until our baskets were full and our backs were aching. I never learned to speak Korean, so our time spent together was always in silence. Despite the language barrier, gardening with my grandma built a long-lasting bond. I felt the most connected to her when we were outside, working and spending time together in the land. I attribute my love for plants to my grandmother. She taught me that gardening is not just about tending and cultivating plants, but tending and cultivating relationships with people and landscapes. The time I spent harvesting fruit with my grandma has become one of the fondest memories of my childhood, and my goal as “Garden Whisperer” is to share this experience with others. 

When I saw the application for “Garden Whisperer,” where I was given the opportunity to design a garden for horticulture-human research, I was immediately intrigued. It brought me back to that joyful time of my life, where I experienced the therapeutic properties of horticulture firsthand. As I enter my fourth, and final year at UC Davis, I want to be more intentional about the jobs that I take on. This means choosing a job that will challenge me, that I am passionate about, that will positively impact my community. This internship fit these criteria and more. After years of social distancing, I see this internship as an opportunity to foster community in Davis. I’m so excited to see what’s in store for me at Pine Trails Ranch.