Zoi Petersen

2024 | Horticulture

Zoi Petersen and her employer, the Adelaide Botanic Garden are participating in our 2024 pilot program for Employer Supported Scholarships. Read more about this pilot.

“I take pride in knowing that I play a role in helping the ecosystem remain balanced, and tending to a garden that not only holds beauty, but a rich history.”

This scholarship is a great opportunity to apply and expand my knowledge of horticulture and help set up paths I can take for a career in this industry. I hope to gain experience and understanding in the field not only in my home country but also other countries where biodiversity and landscapes differ. I hope to bring this knowledge home and to share it with the community, expanding others passion in horticulture as well as mine, and to apply my learning in a professional setting and set up a sustainable future.

A Global Footprints Scholarship is your opportunity to do more of what you love. What have you done at work that you are proud of or passionate about?

There is a sense of passion in everything I do at work and a lot to be proud of, watching plants grow and helping them to thrive under many conditions, planting trees with the understanding that in many years to come, visitors will see them as they have grown mighty. Knowing that I play a role in helping the ecosystem remain balanced, and tending to a garden that not only holds beauty, but a rich history. Applying the knowledge I have gained through study and bringing what I have learned at work into the classroom to share with my peers so that they do not miss out.

A Global Footprints Scholarship is for you if you are passionate about creating a sustainable future. Describe something you have done at work or are working on, that helps the environment. Why is it important to you?

 At work we use all of the leaf drop and cutting to turn into mulch, and we take cuttings and collect seeds from plants. I have a compost bin at home to reduce food waste, and only use reusable and recyclable packaging. Sustainability is important to me as it is the key to a healthy future for the world as it will reduce pollution and protect habitats and living creatures by keeping the world healthy and clean.

As a BBM Scholar you can choose to go anywhere in the world. Where will you travel with your Scholarship and why?

 I would like to travel with my Scholarship to New Zealand as their focus on conservation and sustainability provides ideal opportunities for study in horticulture. The Netherlands also hold good opportunities with their ranking for material re-use or recycling and waste management which I believe would be useful to include in study. I would like to expand my knowledge of their systems of sustainability and ecosystems, and how we can take a step towards the better elsewhere.

“Zoi's ability to learn and apply new techniques is truly impressive, and she has shown a natural understanding of sustainable gardening practices. I believe Zoi is an outstanding candidate for this scholarship.”
– Professional Reference for Zoi’s Global Footprints Application