Pursuit of Sunshine Leads to Lifelong Career

After living in Utah with gloomy winters for most of her life, Amy Huie decided to take a leap of faith and move to San Diego in pursuit of better weather. Without any solid plans, Huie says the decision to pick up her whole life and move to a new city was nerve-wracking, but she was excited for the new life that awaited her in San Diego.

In 2007, as a stay-at-home mom, Huie’s sister-in-law invited her to the Spring Garden Festival at the Water Conservation Garden. It was there that Huie became interested in the Ornamental Horticulture (OH) program.

“I thought I was just going to take a class just to find out more about gardening at my house,” said Huie. It came as a surprise to Huie how much she loved the program. The hands-on experience Huie got at Cuyamaca felt more like fun than school work. “It was recess all day long,” Huie giggled.

After completing the OH program in 2010, Huie went into habitat conservation work in San Diego where she met many colleagues who also had gone through the program. “We would compare experiences and talk about how much we loved it,” said Huie.

Now back at Cuyamaca College after returning in 2018, Huie is the Ornamental Horticulture Program Coordinator and a full-time faculty member. “It feels like a dream come true to be back here. It’s so unbelievable from where I started,” says Huie.

“I came here and found a home,” said Huie. “There’s a real sense of community here. People get to know each other in these hands-on labs.” Having built a connection to the program and the students, staff, and faculty, Huie says she is excited to be in a position where she can help a new generation of students.