Grounded in a rich mixture of philosophy, faith, and trust, Pricilla is quietly following her heart to a life that holds creativity, contemplation, and plants — lots of plants. Much like rhizomes growing underground, her curiosity has taken her down a winding path that started with an interest in interior design and led to landscape architecture.
“One thing about design,” she said, “which could apply to anything in life, is to take a step back and look at the work you’re doing both to appreciate what you’ve accomplished and also to see where you can improve.” She leaned on her rake, pausing for a breath as she looked over the gravel she was smoothing. “It’s important to step back and look at the whole landscape.”
A rising sophomore at N.C. State University and a nearly lifelong Brevardian, Pricilla has spent her time at Southern Highlands Reserve assisting with plant installations, garden maintenance, greenhouse plant care, and administrative tasks. She’s also our new resident social media expert and has created several videos about plant design and installation for our platforms.
On discovering her path:
“I was always drawn to the outdoors and to plants. I loved whenever we would go to the forest for a hike with my family when I was younger. I loved being outside with the mountains, and I’ve always been drawn to the landscape and everything about living in Brevard. I started to take it more seriously when I was 15 and got my first job at With Regards, a plant and wine shop downtown. We sold a lot of house plants, and I wanted to know more about what I was selling.”
On her studies:
“One of my first courses at NC State was plant biology with Dr. Chad Jordan, and even though it was an 8:30 class, I looked forward to it so much because he was so knowledgeable and able to cite so many things about plant anatomy. He’s like a walking dictionary for plants, just casually discussing with us. When I have the opportunity to take a class in horticulture science or landscape architecture, there’s a very warm feeling in my heart, like the path I have chosen and the subjects I’ve chosen to make into a career feels very right. It feels like this is meant for me.”
On what lies ahead:
“I have a vision but when does our vision ever really turn out the way we want it to come out? What I have cooking up right now in my mind is I’ll graduate from school and see what jobs I can get with just my undergrad degree. I would like some time to travel, and then definitely at least a year after graduating I want to apply for a master’s in landscape architecture. I definitely want to do something that’s a version of residential landscape architecture. I’m not worried because I know I’ll be okay wherever I end up.”
On her time at SHR:
“I cannot wait to go back to school and present this project to other horticulture students. I want to tell the whole world about this. Touring the Reserve and learning about the landscape architecture concept “design by room” and creating a planting design has been my favorite. We were simply just sticking flags in the ground, but I loved hearing Kelly’s vision and encouragement to be creative in the landscape. Executing the planting plan really sparked my interest and passion. I felt like I was being brought closer to what I’m meant to be doing with my life. It made me excited about the future landscapes I’ll be designing someday. I love the idea that one day when I come back to the Reserve I — and even visitors who come to tour — will be able to see the fruit of my works. It brings me a lot of joy thinking about it.”