Her Story
About Katelyn
I was always interested in science growing up. I had two parents with PhDs, and I spent a lot of time indoors reading books. I majored in biology in undergrad and was originally interested in doing zoology stuff. But the more research I tried to do on wildlife and animals, the more I got fed up with how they kept moving around. I kind of got into plants because, well, they're just there. Plants are everywhere, and they're just there, waiting for people to pay attention to them. I interned at this company the last semester of undergrad in 2023, working out in the greenhouses with the perennial growers. It was just a really good environment, both the company itself and the work environment, and also just being in the greenhouses with the plants. It's really hard to have a hard day when you're surrounded by flowers. Now I work as the marketing manager, running digital communications, email campaigns, and social media on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. My main focus is promoting different genetics, especially in annuals, varieties and series on the market that might not necessarily get the attention they deserve. I highlight natives and pollinator-friendly stuff, showcasing different features and functions of plants and communicating that to the rest of the market. Every week I take a full walkthrough of the annuals and perennials, taking pictures and notes about what's looking good. I've also started taking over the internship program here, building it up and making more connections with local schools.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katelyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think part of it would be just growing up doing swimming and being in that kind of athletic environment where it's an individual sport. You know, if you don't succeed, you don't have anyone to blame other than yourself. So I think from a really young age, you know, a lot of us who grew up swimming, we started when we were really young. You just kind of grow up in that environment where you commit to do something, and even when it starts to suck, and even when it's no longer fun, you committed to do it, so you learn to just see things through. And over time, the more you practice that, the more you learn that it's always worth it if you just stick it out, and you get really good results if you just commit and just keep going, regardless of how it feels or how tough things get midway through. There are very few things that come up that are difficult that I feel like I can't handle. There are very few things that I'm like, this isn't as difficult as getting through college swimming, or getting in the water for the sixth day in a week, or waking up and working out for three hours in a day, or trying to balance a part-time job and full-time school and 18 hours of practice. So I feel like that really sets you up.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, and this is something that I'm still kind of figuring out and learning myself, but don't underestimate your own ability. Give yourself credit for the work that you've put in and the skills that you've developed. For me, I just came out of my master's, and I felt the same way coming out of undergrad and my master's. I'm like, I'm just new to the industry, I'm so young, I don't know anything. And it's like, that may be the case, there may be so much more to learn, but you also have a lot more ability than you think you do.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Pennsylvania
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.