FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Bethany Sebesta, a graduating senior horticulture major in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, was planning to pursue a master’s degree until an internship last summer opened a new door in her life.

“It really inspired me to try other facets of horticulture,” said Sebesta. “To gain experience through a hands-on working environment. I worked for Naturipe Berry Growers Inc. at the cultivar development ranch, known as Pacific Berry Breeding in Watsonville, California.”

Sebesta was introduced to Ellen Thompson, the head breeder of PBB, by adviser John Clark while she was working on a blackberry research project at the University of Arkansas.

Sebesta described the internship as a great experience due to the change of atmosphere and hands-on horticulture application.

“I am someone who can easily adapt; I like to experience new things every day,” said Sebesta. “I truly enjoyed the opportunity to apply the horticultural knowledge I gained through the university program each day at PBB. It provided a perspective that a theoretical knowledge cannot.”

Sebesta worked with blackberry and raspberry plants on the PBB ranch. “I assisted the field crew with daily tasks and carried out special projects assigned by the head breeder,” she said.

Sebesta’s internship was a great experience because she gained skills, had outstanding experiences and it gave her horticultural passion a new direction. Her internship activities included organizing and conducting a sensory panel, yield analysis, assisting in gathering information for cultivar patenting, post-harvest analysis and assisting the breeding technician.

“The sensory analysis project I conducted compared a few of PBB’s elite raspberry selections to a store-bought selection developed and sold through the Droscoll’s company,” said Sebesta. “The ballot asked the panelists to rate appearance, flavor and texture of the fruit. Then describe which selection was a favorite.”

Sebesta said she primarily conducted harvest and yield calculations.

“One of my assignments was to collect botanical data for patent applications,” she said. “This involved taking measurements of plant parts and recoding plant attributions such as color. Post-harvest analysis was done on a regular basis. The raspberry and blackberry fruits were appropriately stored for a few days to simulate the time needed to go from field to market. The berries were evaluated for quality, flavor and ‘mouthfeel.’”

Sebesta said her original plan was to enter graduate school, but the summer experience changed that.

“Being in the field and working with the plants ignited the desire to be more of a horticulturalist for a little bit,” said Sebesta. “Initially my plan was to go directly into graduate school after finishing my undergraduate degree. This internship aided me in realizing that I would value working.”

She is scheduled to walk in Saturday’s commencement in Barnhill Arena after completing requirements for her bachelor’s in horticulture.

“I wish I had taken the opportunity to do multiple internships,” she said. “There are really so many different paths to pursue in horticulture.”

Sebesta said her two-month internship with PBB was “an inspiration.”