The Edge July/August 2025

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Meet Jason Walker, 2025’s Outstanding Educator of the Year

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING AN EDUCATOR? Watching the students grow and devel op. From the time they come in as 17- or 18-year-olds and the amazing amount of growth that occurs over a three- or four-year period, it’s very enjoyable and probably the best part of being an educator. The cool part of being able to stick around for a long time is that now so many of our students come back, and they’re recruiting other students, and to know that you had a small role in help ing them develop their livelihood and their careers is very rewarding. WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT AS AN EDUCATOR? I think I’ve had a number of them, but I think probably the thing that was most fulfilling was when Mississippi State hosted the previous time, and we had so much camaraderie and so many people that pitched in and helped to do a lot of good things in our department. That was definitely a highlight. WHAT IS THE NO. 1 LESSON YOU HOPE STUDENTS TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR CLASSES? That failure is not really an option. To always work hard and do your best. And if you do that, if you keep trying, if you keep working hard, then at some point, you will be rewarded. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS AN EDUCATOR? Keeping up with the changing technolo gy, keeping up with how students learn and how they want to learn. I think stay ing abreast of the pedagogical pieces of education is really the fun part, but it’s also the challenging part, especially as technology changes so fast. To try to stay on top, and to be able to communicate effectively in a way that works for them is probably the most challenging part. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER PREVENTING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM BEING INTERESTED IN THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY? I think it’s awareness more than anything. I think awareness and maybe miscon

By Jill Odom

THE NALP FOUNDATION NAMED JASON WALKER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR and undergraduate coordinator for landscape architecture at Mississippi State University, this year’s Outstanding Educator of the Year.

landscape professionals and forming connections with industry leaders who inspire students with insights about the many different career paths available in landscaping and horticulture. Walker was recognized at this year’s NCLC for his impact on his students’ lives. WHEN WERE YOU FIRST ATTRACTED TO HORTICULTURE? I realized when I was a senior in high school that I knew I wanted to do some thing related to plants and the environ ment, and that’s what led me ultimately to get a landscape architecture degree at Mississippi State. HOW DID YOU END UP AN EDUCATOR YOURSELF? I had an uncle who was in education, and I think that probably had an influ ence on me wanting to go down that path. I knew my junior year in my under graduate degree that I thought teaching would be something that I wanted to get into ultimately. So I tried to position myself to be able to do that and got very fortunate to have the opportunity to come back to Mississippi State I’ve taught a lot of courses over the years. I would say probably the course that I enjoy the most right now is an intro duction to design course for freshmen. I also enjoy irrigation and lighting, and I very much enjoy teaching construction documentation. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ALSO SERVE AS THE UNDERGRADUATE COORDINATOR? To really help with recruiting and to make sure that we were doing a good job of advising our students in the pro gram. It’s really an opportunity to get to know all the students, which I find that I enjoy very much, to try to help put them in the best position for their careers. I enjoy the coordinator role. WHICH COURSE DO YOU ENJOY TEACHING THE MOST?

Walker earned his undergraduate degree at Mississippi State and attended Virginia Tech for graduate school. He has been teaching at Mississippi State since 2003. As the co-leader of Mississippi State University’s National Collegiate Land scape Competition team and undergrad uate coordinator, he is dedicated to his students’ success, from helping students navigate their coursework to providing thoughtful career guidance. He is also an avid recruiter for the department, educating parents about the career opportunities available to

36 The Edge // July/August 2025