Dyanna Perez 

she/her 

• Sustainable Horticulture Co-Coordinator 2024-25, Sustainable Horticulture Intern 2023-24
• Major: Landscape Architecture, Class of 2025

Becoming part of the Learning by Leading™ program has perfectly aligned with my passions and career goals. On one hand, I have been given the opportunity to practice the horticultural and design skills I have learned in my landscape architecture classes by applying them to real-world projects. On the other hand, I have been welcomed by an awesome community where I get to practice my passion for teaching while further developing my leadership skills. Being involved in the Sustainable Horticulture internship has allowed me to learn so much about the realities of designing, building and maintaining gardens, making me a more considerate landscape designer.

My involvement in the Sustainable Horticulture program as an intern, and now as a co-coordinator, has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have experienced during my time at UC Davis. I’ve become familiar with California native and drought tolerant plants, allowing me to easily identify them, practice their propagation, and understand their maintenance needs throughout the year. Practicing leadership as a co-coordinator has allowed me to care for and witness the growth of the gardens I helped design and build during my time as an intern. 

My favorite project I have been granted the opportunity to get involved in is the planting designs of the Gorman Museum of Native American Art. During my time as an intern, I was able to design a planting bed in the Gorman Museum, as well as partake in site preparation and installation throughout the site. Now, as a co-coordinator, I get to plan and help prepare for weekly sessions for a team of 15 interns, not only maintaining the gardens I helped build as an intern but also guiding other students through new design and installation projects. 

Additionally, the Learning my Leading ™ program has helped me hone my leadership skills and learn more about myself as a leader. Coordinating the internship alongside Amelia Swanson under the guidance of our staff mentor, Ryan Deering has been a really enjoyable experience that has taught me about different leadership styles. Leading the Sustainable Horticulture internship has made me realize that I know more about plant identification and maintenance than I realized and that I am good at understanding my mentees’ personalities, helping to design personalized learning methods. I feel that Amelia and I balance each other perfectly as leaders of the internship. Amelia has a warm, welcoming and friendly personality that is great at setting a positive attitude during our 3-hour weekly sessions. I, on the other hand, am more skilled in plant identification, identifying maintenance needs and maximizing productivity. I am very grateful for Ryan’s mentorship as he has taught me so much about horticulture, as well as being realistic about what tasks can get done in a session and students’ engagement. 

I am positive that my work in the Learning by Leading program has had a positive impact on the UC Davis community. The gardens that our team helps maintain bring a pop of colorful life to our campus throughout the year, while supporting wildlife habitat through sustainable means. In addition, some members of the Native American community have expressed appreciation for the work that has been done at the Gorman Museum given that our team has incorporated native plant selection in our gardens with important ethnobotanical properties. 

All in all, I am grateful for the opportunity to have become a part of the Arboretum community. Not only have I grown as a leader but being part of the behind-the-scenes of multiple landscape projects has made me a more knowledgeable and confident planting designer. It has introduced me to the industry I will be working in, making me feel more prepared as I enter the professional world after graduation. My desire to be involved in the design-build process has definitely been amplified as a result of my involvement in the Arboretum and Public Garden. I am now open to other alternative pathways — who knows, maybe one day I will become a certified arborist!