Contact: Maridith Geuder
A group of Mississippi State majors in horticulture/floristry management are winners of two top-10 awards and three scholarships given at a national meeting of leading floral industry professionals.
Senior Callie E. Montgomery of Starkville finished seventh in overall student competition sponsored by the American Institute of Floral Designers.
AIFD is a non-profit professional organization of more than 1,200 members generally regarded to be among the best in their field. This year's AIFD collegiate challenge drew more than 40 entrants.
"Callie's achievement is the highest rank a Mississippi State student has received in this contest in recent years," said Jim DelPrince, associate horticulture professor and director of the University Florist. "We are very proud of her and our other national winners."
The other MSU students honored in Chicago include:
--Kelly M. Nesbit of Vaiden, who took first place in the poster competition for her presentation on Biedermeier floral design. An MSU graduate in floristry management, she is pursuing a master's degree in technology and education.
--Senior Kimberly N. Crowley of Maben, and juniors Melanie P. Allison of Oxford and Julianna B. Chapman of Starkville, all named AIFD Foundation Scholars. Crowley received a $2,000 award; Allison and Chapman, $1,500 each.
MSU's floristry management degree curriculum was developed more than two decades ago to help meet the needs of America's multimillion-dollar retail florist industry. The four-year program is the only one of its kind in the Southeast.