IAA Internship Stories: Conrad Mellin

Landscape Management student Conrad Mellin stands next to a garden bed that he designed and installed at Hillendale Country Club.

Image Credit: Ken Ingram

October 16, 2017

Conrad Mellin, a Landscape Management student at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA), spent his summer interning at Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix, MD. Mellin’s days began at 6:00 a.m. and consisted of completing multiple jobs pertaining to landscape maintenance. 

He began by blowing leaves and debris away from the club house. Then, Mellin helped the club’s horticulturist with gardening. Tasks included weeding, mowing, and blowing mulch back on to the garden beds after heavy rain. Later, with the assistant superintendent, Mellin performed duties on the golf course such as weed eating around signposts and ball washers, and Buffalo blowing leaves off fairways and rough. By the end of his internship, Mellin designed and installed two garden beds.

After reaching out to multiple landscaping companies and private golf clubs during his initial internship search, Mellin decided that Hillendale would be the right fit for him. “The superintendent said the horticulturist needed help,” Mellin said.

Mellin further explained, “Ever since middle school I have been interested in landscape work.” A middle school computer design project instantly hooked Mellin. “It is awesome designing and then implementing something I helped create. It is very fulfilling,” he said. Mellin also enjoys being outdoors and he could not imagine having a desk job.

Thanks to the hands-on activities and professional development at Hillendale, Mellin has a more extensive education in landscaping, gardening, and designing. He intends to complete his Certificate in Applied Agriculture, then continue at the University of Maryland to earn a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture.

Hillendale provided Mellin with valuable work experience and a greater opportunity for employment once he finishes college. He feels better prepared to achieve his dream job as a landscape architect, and looks forward to being a leader with an excellent company. In addition to learning more about landscaping, Mellin also gained a greater appreciation for sustainability. He knows now that what goes into a design must last without posing a negative consequence to our future resources. Mellin is glad to have taken courses in turfgrass and diseases at the IAA, saying that they prepared him for his internship.