Kevin Ganues
A summer job could just be a way to make money and stay busy between semesters in school. For Kevin Ganues, his summer job as a groundworker for a tree company inspired him to fall in love with landscaping. Ganues is this year’s outstanding Landscape and Turf Management graduate.
Ganues, a 1999 Cardinal Stritch High School graduate, found inspiration more than 24 years ago from his summer job. Years later, he enrolled at Owens Community College to pursue his degree in Landscape and Turf Management to move up in his career. “I have several friends that have completed the program and they all told me how great the school and program were to their lives,” he said. “Many of the classes are geared exactly to what we need to be successful in our industry.”
Owens is the only local higher education institution to offer a landscape and turf management program. In addition, Ganues said the schedule was critical in choosing Owens. “The ability to combine online classes with evening in-person classes allowed me to continue to work full time while earning my degree,” said Ganues.
While at Owens, Ganues was part of the Owens Landscape Club and also participated in the Fast Track Program. “Fast Track helped me stay on track with my goals while at Owens,” he said. The Fast Track Program is a grant-funded program that gives students access to resources and support to help them graduate as quickly as possible.
After graduation, Ganues will continue his career as an arborist. He hopes to transition into a management position in the future.
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Published December 2023