Hello! My name is Brianna Huber, and I am a graduating senior in the College of Agriculture. I am majoring in Plant Science with a focus in Genetics and Biotechnology and a specialization in horticulture. I was born and raised in Berks County, PA. I started my college journey at the Penn State Berks satellite campus before ending here at University Park. While being a full-time student, I also work as a lab assistant in Dr. Chopra’s maize genetics lab and the Penn State Common’s Desk.
My great-grandmother has always had a large garden in her yard and even still tends to one today, just on a smaller scale. Every year since I was a little girl, I remember going to her house in the summertime and helping her plant, weed, and pick the fruit and vegetables that she would grow. My grandmother and mother both always had houseplants so I would help take care of them, usually just watering when asked. Then, as I became an adult, I started propagating plants from ones around the house to eventually acquiring more from local greenhouses or stores. You could say that I’ve always had a green thumb throughout my life. When I’m not taking care of plants, I enjoy hanging out with friends, cooking, going to concerts, and playing video games (just to name a few).
I chose to do my semester-long senior project on Pennsylvania natives. Not only are they beautiful, but they attract pollinators which are beneficial for all plants. This project has given me a small taste of how a horticultural business works, which could be quite helpful in the future. I also just enjoyed watching the plants grow from small plugs to beautiful small plants, ready to be planted.
Even though I am graduating very soon, I am still unsure what exactly I want to do job-wise. I would love to work in something like greenhouse production, environmental conservation, or for a company converting biomass into biofuel. I just want to take some time to travel and experience the world. I also just really want to spend time with my dogs and take them hiking.
