Designing Divas

PKG for 2003-04-15 - RUNS 1:53

Intro

Three New Mexico State University floral design students arranged their way to first-place finishes in a national competition. Anna María Pérez-Wright tells us about these designing divas.

Video	Audio
	Competing in floral design may seem like a serene experience, but it's not for pansies. At a demanding competition, New Mexico State University students won first place in three floral design categories at the National Collegiate Floral Evaluation and Design Competition in Las Cruces. Horticulture major Amy Newton won in the water vase arrangement class and attributed NMSU's success to coach Sabine Whitley.
Insert title at :26-:32 Amy Newton, NMSU senior Hometown: Roswell, New Mexico	"She's really been awesome this year. She's taught us a whole lot of different techniques to use with other stuff like, such as the grass. I think she's really done an outstanding job and taught us a lot."
	Each competitor is given an identical bucket of flowers and a set amount of time to complete their design. N-M-S-U senior Bryna Wilson, who will intern with Southern Living Magazine's garden department this summer, won the European hand-tied bouquet category. N-M-S-U's Kathy Burcham, a student from Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, won the amateur competition in one-sided asymmetrical design. The fourth N-M-S-U design competitor Eva Winans, won a second place in the tablescape competition. First place went to Monica De Anda of California Polytechnic who used anthuriums in her centerpiece design. Cal-Poly's team also won first place in the floral evaluation contest where competitors had to rank 30 classes of cut and potted flowers. Texas A&M floral judging team coach Jim Johnson says participation in these competitions offers invaluable experience for horticulture students.
Insert title at 1:34-1:39 Jim Johnson Texas A&M University	"The cream of the crop students come to this contest. We met people from industry, both on tours and at our dinners and all of these things are connections that students would not have otherwise."
	About 70 horticulture students from 11 universities across the nation participated. For N-M-S-U's College of Agriculture and Home Economics, I'm Anna María Pérez-Wright.