American Floral Endowment names 2026 Paul Thomas Intern of the Year, Paul Ecke Jr. and Altman Family scholarship recipients

The American Floral Endowment has announced the 2026 Paul Thomas Floriculture Production Intern of the Year and the Paul Ecke Jr. and the Altman Family scholarship recipients.

2026 Paul Thomas Floriculture Production Intern of the Year

The Intern of the Year Award annually spotlights an emerging talent in horticulture and plant sciences and recognizes exceptional internship performance through the Vic and Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program, administered by AFE.

The 2026 recipient is Alana Wood, a horticulture production major and junior at Kansas State University.

The 2026 honorable mentions are Lemuel Dill, also a horticulture production major at Kansas State, and Parker Carlson, a Texas State University senior majoring in agriculture with a concentration in horticulture.

The Intern of the Year recipient receives paid hotel and airfare to Cultivate (July 11 to 14, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio). Wood is unable to attend Cultivate this year, so Carlson is attending in her place, receiving free registration provided by AmericanHort as well as $500 spending cash courtesy of AFE’s Young Professional Council.

Wood will receive $250 and have the opportunity to serve on the review committee for the 2027 Paul Thomas selection. Dill will also receive $250 for his recognition as an honorable mention.

“Internships are where passion meets practice. And programs like this are more than just recognition. They are about investing in the future of floriculture,” said AFE Executive Director Debi Chedester. “These students represent the next generation of leaders who will bring fresh ideas, energy and innovation to our industry. We are proud to support them at this pivotal stage in their career.”

This annual award pays tribute to the late Paul Thomas, a retired University of Georgia professor and passionate supporter of student programs. Students who have successfully completed a three-, four- or six-month Vic & Margaret Ball internship are eligible for the award.

A 2025 Vic and Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program recipient, Wood completed a 3-month internship with Pure Beauty Farms in Miami. spent that summer immersed in the industry, focused on two main projects.

She gained experience in summer seed trials and poinsettia propagation.

“Throughout my whole internship, I just learned so much, and receiving this award makes me feel like I represented AFE well and my hard work throughout the summer was recognized,” she said. “I am really grateful for the opportunity and the award. These are things I will carry on for life.”

Dill completed a six-month internship with Neal Mast & Son Greenhouses in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

From graphical tracking to smaller yet vital details that matter in the creation of quality crops, he gained insights into how commercial plant producers function.

“It gives extra props that it was worth the time. Six months is a long time to be away, but looking back, when I see how much I grew, knowing that others could see that growth solidifies that it was a really good experience,” he said.

“I hope to take what I have learned and teach other people now that I have a broader understanding of the industry as a whole.”

Carlson completed a three-month internship with Plantpeddler in Cresco, Iowa, where he was exposed to greenhouse operations on a large scale, expanding his knowledge in daily greenhouse tasks, such as plant care, transplanting, scouting and order fulfillment.

“This is a chance to feel even more a part of the industry, and being in the industry, rather than just hearing about it, helps you feel less like an imposter,” he said. “I was always raised that you will never regret anything you did as long as you gave it your all. I followed that in Iowa, I will at Cultivate and I will continue to follow that throughout my career.”

To learn more about each of these students’ journeys in floriculture and future goals, click here.

2026 Paul Ecke Jr. and the Altman Family scholarship recipients

The Paul Ecke Jr. and Altman Family scholarships, which were created to support the next generation of horticultural scientists and industry leaders, recognize graduate students whose work is poised to shape the future of floriculture through innovation, research and education.

Emily Eldridge, a master’s at North Carolina State University, is the recipient of the 2026 Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship. She will receive a total of $10,000 ($5,000 each for two consecutive years) to help fund her education.

“My academic and professional work focuses on strengthening the horticulture workforce by understanding student recruitment, engagement and success in horticulture programs,” she said.

“In this way, this scholarship is not only an investment in my education, but also an investment in the systems and programs that educate and prepare future floriculture professionals.”

Andre Truter, a master’s student at North Carolina State University, was awarded the 2025 Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship. This year, Truterwas approved for a second year of funding and received a total of $10,000 in scholarship support, awarded as $5,000 annually over two consecutive years, to assist with his educational expenses.

The scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke Jr., a horticulturist from California credited with moving the industry forward with his innovation and educational program development in the field. The scholarship awards the chosen scholar with $5,000 for two consecutive years ($10,000 total). The recipient must be pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree at a U.S. land-grant university. For more information about the scholarship, click here.

Four students received the 2026 Altman Family Scholarship. Each recipient will receive $5,000 to further their graduate work. They are Charlie Smith, a doctoral student at Michigan State University; Luke Finn, a master’s student at North Carolina State University; Rajesh Vavilapalli, a doctoral student at the University of Georgia; and Tatiana Osorio Montoya, a doctoral student at North Carolina State University.

Created in 2015 by Ken and Deena Altman, the Altman Family Scholarship seeks to support improvement in horticulture education and research by investing in young industry professionals.

This scholarship provides an annual scholarship ($5,000) to graduate students pursuing a career in horticulture.

For more information, click here.

“I aim to maintain strong connections with local growers, using research-based practices to address real-world production challenges,” Smith said.

“I seek a career that allows me to advance floriculture knowledge, train the next generation of horticulturists and support sustainable and productive greenhouse practices.”

Upon completion of his graduate degree, Finn intends to enter the horticulture industry in a role that bridges research and production, with possible focus areas of technical services, cultural research, product management or sales.

“I want to be able to serve as a resource for growers, helping them understand what management decisions to make and why those decisions would work best for them,” he said.

“My proposed research aims to address a major floriculture issue: the lack of precise, decision-based pest management tools for ornamental nurseries. I am developing degree-day models for the redheaded flea beetle to accurately track its population dynamics under nursery conditions,” Vavilapalli said.

“This work will allow growers to time chemical and biological interventions based on pest biology rather than relying on calendar-based sprays, reducing unnecessary applications, lowering costs and minimizing environmental impact.”

“I envision myself working at the interface between academia and industry, developing technologies and management strategies that improve sustainability, profitability and product quality,” Osorio Montoya said.

“I am particularly interested in maintaining strong connections between U.S. research institutions and floriculture industries in countries like Colombia, where technological advances can have profound economic and social impact.”

In addition to this year’s Altman Family Scholarship winners, AFE announced that four students received special recognition through the program’s application process:

• Hazel Schrader of St. Paul, Minnesota, a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota
• Morgan O’Neill of Auburn, Alabama, a master’s student at Auburn University
• Navdeep Kaur of College Station, Texas, a doctoral student at Texas A&M University
• Tanner Hamerling of Athens, Georgia, a master’s degree student at the University of Georgia

To learn more about each of these students’ journeys in floriculture and future goals, click here.