June 2, 2015 — Plants, according to Jamie Penkava, are unique in color, form and texture. They not only provide beauty to a landscape, but they clean the air. The teenager from Amherst, Ohio plans a career with them - maybe being a landscape designer.

What Jamie has learned in the Landscape and Greenhouse Management Program stimulated her agriculture education passion that will take her to the next step at The Ohio State University. A plus is that her mathematics and English credits accumulated in the past two years will transfer.

"I've been involved in career-tech throughout all of high school," Jamie said. She raised swine. She had her own garden with peppers, cabbage and zucchini. However, it was the greenhouse and landscape aspects of agriculture where she found her true interest in plant identification, care, maintenance and design.

"She is motivated, hardworking and energetic," said Instructor Beth Berthold. "She has taken advantage of opportunities and exhibited that she is a leader."

Jamie, who holds a 3.8 GPA at Firelands High School and Lorain County JVS, is president of the Lorain FFA Chapter and recipient of the State FFA Degree while being credited for re-starting an FFA banquet at the career center after nine years without one. Her community service projects include cutting firewood for senior citizens and teaching inner-city children about the origin of food. She describes public speaking as one of her largest growth areas in career tech.

"When I started public speaking, my voice would shake, I would turn red," she said. "Eventually, I grew comfortable talking in front of large groups."