Up Close with Ashley Beazer: This Landscape Scholarship Winner Digs Deep

When Ashley Beazer muses about landscaping and why she likes it, you’d never know she’s a college sophomore who’s just started learning the ropes.

A confident deep thinker, Ashley kind of wows you.

It’s no surprise she won a $1,000 college scholarship through the National Association of Landscape Professionals, funded by contributor Level Green Landscaping.

A sophomore studying Landscape Management at
Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Ashley talks about landscaping as the perfect fit for her multifaceted self.

“I discovered it’s a mix of business and art and science, “ she says. “That was appealing to me. I didn’t have to choose to be only a scientist or only an artist or only a businesswoman. I could do it all, and in a setting that I loved — outside, in nature.”

She knows she’s not the only one who loves to be outside.

“It’s a place where people make connections and discover meaning,” she says. “You connect with family outside, with friends, with yourself, with God. Being a part of creating and maintaining that space is special. It’s being part of something bigger than you, and I like that.”

“Little Becomes A Lot”

As a kid, it was her job to mow the lawn.

“I liked it,” she says. “There’s almost meditation that goes along with it.”

Ashley’s had a taste of landscaping life already, working part time on the grounds crew at Brigham Young. She’s on the pruning crew.

If you don’t think that sounds too exciting, just listen to her describe it.

“When I found out that was my job I didn’t think, ‘Oh, good, I get to prune shrubs,’” she says with a laugh. “But that’s where I ended up, and I like it.”

She has a sort of philosophy about it.

“Over the last few years my family has had this conversation about how small things added together over time make a big difference,” she says. “How little by little, little becomes a lot. It’s sort of our family motto.”

It’s like that with pruning, Ashley says.

“If every winter you do a little seasonal structural pruning, during the green months it’ll be beautiful,” she says. “Sometimes we’ll come across shrubs that haven’t been pruned in five or even 10 years, and they’re an overgrown mess. Those shrubs are beasts.

“Little things, done consistently and diligently, make a big difference,” she says.

The People Part of Landscaping

It’s the same way with people, she says.

“You reach out to your neighbors and coworkers and clients little by little to earn their friendship and their trust,” she says. “You don’t develop those relationships in a day.”

Speaking of people, she likes that part of the landscaping industry, too.

“The people are the other part of the equation,” Ashley says. “Working on a crew, connecting with people, has made a big impact on me. Especially during Covid. I can go to work and it’s a place to be with my people.”

“I Have Lots of Dreams”

She still has a couple years to go before graduation, but Ashley is already pondering her future in landscaping.

“I have lots of dreams,” she says. “One option is to someday manage a team somewhere, and to help make a company more profitable and help make it a better workplace.”

She applied for the NALP scholarship along with lots of other scholarships. She’s grateful to win this one. Her goal is to graduate from college with no debt.

“I like to think that any career I choose could make me happy,” Ashley says. “I could make a happy life as a nurse.

“But I really want to work with hard-working people who provide for their families and create beautiful spaces.”

Want to Join the Team?

Here at Level Green Landscaping, we love supporting and encouraging the next generation of landscape professionals.

And we’re always looking for hard-working, talented people to join our team.

Are you ready to work for a company excited to welcome new talent?