KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE ALUMNI KEEPING GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY BEAUTIFUL
Jason Toth goes to work every day in a little piece of paradise in the middle of Chicago: the Garfield Park Conservatory. Jason, an alum of the Kishwaukee College Horticulture Program, is a member of the horticulture staff at the Conservatory.
Jason studied Ornamental Horticulture – Greenhouse Management while a student, graduating with his A.A.S. degree in May 2012. “One of my favorite experiences at Kish was the tree walks Rich Alde would take us on for arboriculture classes, identifying trees in summer and winter,” he recalled. “And also my first time dabbling in floral arranging with Janet Gallagher. It turned out I wasn’t terrible at it! So when I was working a seasonal job with the Chicago Park District, before I worked with them full-time, I had a job as a florist. I truly made use of all skills that I learned from Kishwaukee.”
After graduation, Jason landed a position at the Nicholas Conservatory in Rockford. He said, “I got that position through one of the horticulture department job fairs and I got my foot in the door to conservatory and greenhouse work.” From there, he continued up the career ladder, landing at Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest and most beautiful conservatories in the country.
