When at the age of four my mother gave equal amounts of carrot seeds between four kids and mine were the only ones we ate that season I knew then that plants would always be a part of me,but not until it was at Modesto Junior College in the nursery where I worked four semesters as a nursery assistant through the work-study program when Professor Pollard came in with a horticulture class of twenty students and we all did a tray of star jasmine cuttings and the next 2 weeks my tray was full of vibrant,strong transplants while all others contained only a few or none He said to the students,now look at Shellie's tray a prime example of what we are looking for in the final product. After the students went to their next class and I was transplanting baby assorted flowers for the up coming spring sale Professor Pollard came in and said to me the words that changed my major and my life,"Shellie you have a natural green thumb, use it well for this kind of gift is few and far between. Anyone who has gone to MJC and has had this Professor knows that this acknowledgement spoken by him is also very few and far between so I knew then that horticulture would be my life's calling..