Contact: Maridith Geuder
Two Mississippi State students are among winners in recent competition at a national gathering of leading floristry professionals.
University senior Aisha M. Booker of Jackson placed ninth overall in the collegiate challenge of the American Institute of Floral Designers national symposium in St. Louis, Mo. Sophomore Katherine A. Johnston of Vicksburg took second-place honors in a separate "flowers to carry" category.
Booker, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Booker, is a horticulture major with an academic concentration in retail floristry management. Johnston, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Johnston, is a wildlife and fisheries major.
"These students demonstrated their creativity and originality under pressure at a meeting attended by professionals around the country," said MSU professor James DelPrince. "Our students once again proved they have both the talent and poise required to succeed."
DelPrince, who heads MSU's retail floristry program, said the competition involved a variety of categories, including "flowers to carry," "spontaneous," "theme design," "dried materials," and others.
Student chapters around the U.S. are affiliated with AIFD, which was founded in 1965 and today enrolls some 1,300 members. It is considered the floral industry's leading nonprofit organization.
Mississippi State's unique retail floristry management program was established more than two decades ago to help meet the needs of America's multimillion-dollar retail floristry industry. The four-year program is the only one of its kind in the Southeast.