ABAC students assist with first lady's Congressional Luncheon

Oct. 16—TIFTON — Three students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and an ABAC alumna were key participants in the arrangement of floral designs at the recent First Lady's Congressional Luncheon in Washington, D.C.

The students included Olivia Centanni and Wendy Sullivan from Lakeland, Fla., and Emma Walker from LaGrange. Also assisting was Shelby Waldroup, an ABAC alumna who is currently an Agriculture Education teacher at Troup County High School.

The floral designs at the luncheon, which was attended by First Lady Jill Biden, were sponsored by Certified American Grown florals. Program Manager Anna Kalins said the ABAC students were right on target.

"The ABAC students were hard-working and professional," Kalins said. "Certified American Grown and its farms know the importance of nurturing the next generation of floral artists, and this was a wonderful opportunity for them to experience how, together as a community, we can ensure that more and more consumers and policymakers understand the importance of supporting our unique, local, domestic floral industry."

The First Lady's Luncheon is developed annually by the Congressional Club, made up of the spouses of the past and present members of Congress. It is bipartisan, and its purpose is to honor the First Lady of the United States. Up to 1,500 guests attend each year.

Started in 1908, the original purpose of the Congressional Club was to provide a nonpartisan social setting for building friendships among the spouses of members of Congress. Today the club's primary focus is fostering friendship through service in Washington, D.C., and working with charitable organizations across the country.

In 1912, the Congressional Club held a breakfast, served at noon to honor First Lady Nellie Taft. The breakfast became a luncheon and has been attended by every first lady since its inception.

This is the third year that ABAC students have been accepted to participate in the prestigious event. Floral professionals from across the country apply to be part of the First Lady's Luncheon Floral Design Team.

"The entire experience was memorable, but the part that stood out the most was definitely unboxing all of the flowers and just seeing it all being processed at once," Walker said. "Being there not only taught me new and different techniques, but I was also able to network and meet people within the floral world."

Sullivan said she was amazed at the home state origins of some of the volunteers.

"There were volunteers all the way from Alaska and California, to Illinois, Missouri, Georgia and Florida," Sullivan said. "There were some flower farmers, some florists who have had experience with floral designing and then the three of us from ABAC, who are still learning. That was very neat to me.

"The most memorable moment was definitely the luncheon, being in a room with all of those amazing people. Hearing the first lady and second gentlemen speak is an experience I will never forget."

Centanni said she saw the event as preparation for her future.

"My major is agricultural education, and sometimes agriculture teachers teach floral design classes," she said. "While I am knowledgeable in the nursery and landscape industry, and I have a little bit of prior knowledge in floral design, this gave me a real-world opportunity to use my current skill set as well as my newly acquired skills in a professional setting.

"The new skills that I gained can help me be a better teacher. It is good to have a small skill set in many different things."

Prior to the event, the ABAC contingent helped to process more than 16,000 stems of flowers. On the second and third day, they helped to make more than 125 centerpieces, two floral arches, and multiple cocktail centerpieces.

"As a teacher, it made it even more special to me seeing Emma Walker create designs," Waldroup said. "She is my former student and learned floral design in my classroom. She has become a wonderful designer with attention to detail. The most memorable moments were being able to network with industry professionals and building relationships with other florists around the United States."