January 2026 Awards, Production, Research

2026 GPN/Prospiant Intern of the Year By Gabrielle Rippel

Internships provide a pathway for students to gain real-world experience within their field of study. Some students can gain further insight in the field they know they want to pursue, but for many others it provides an opportunity to learn a new side of the industry. 

FROM HEIRLOOM TO HORTICULTURE 

Aidan Souder’s college direction began with an unusual hobby of helping his grandfather care for an heirloom banana plant. This plant originally traveled from Guam with a family member, and Souder’s grandparents continue to care for it. 

“Like a lot of people during the pandemic, I got into houseplants,” Souder said. 

Currently a Texas A&M senior, Souder spent a previous internship with a wholesale nursery, where he learned he wanted to explore a new area of horticulture. Through his Ball FloraPlant internship, Souder performed as the annual product development intern and gained a new perspective of ornamental production. 

“When I was looking at Ball, I knew I wanted to do another internship to get a different perspective on the ornamental industry,” he said. “I liked my time at the nursery, but most people will tell you, working at that level is a lot different than a massive multinational corporation level. I knew I wanted to get a different perspective from what I had seen.” 

In his role, Souder found himself in the center of the breeding, trialing and marketing process for ornamental annuals. 

“I was collaborating with breeders, marketers and growers to bring new plants to market. I was entrusted with designing and executing an environmental tolerance trial for a confidential future product release. I conducted plant growth regulator (PGR) trials in calibrachoa, managed hundreds of plants in summer trials and represented Ball FloraPlant at Cultivate’25,” Souder said. 

“For the first time I saw how a plant moves from concept to market and the diverse set of people it must go through to end up in garden centers around the world. I saw the passionate, creative and hardworking people that make a new plant a success … It reshaped my education,” Souder said. 

CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS 

The opportunity at Ball brought forth interns from many walks of life pursuing growth in horticulture. Souder said the knowledge he gained from meeting everyone was one of the most rewarding aspects of his internship. 

“It pays to talk to people and make friends in the industry. I heard so many inspiring stories about how people got to where they are, what they studied in school, where they interned when they were students, where they worked before they ended up at Ball. That was meaningful to me, and I made a lot of good personal connections that were rewarding,” Souder said.

FORWARD THINKING

Souder is grateful that his internship experience opened his eyes to a new career path. 

“I haven’t focused on ornamentals throughout my undergrad, but I want more time to get enough background on the industry. I want to spend some time doing research on ways to make the industry function better,” Souder said. 

“I’m looking at production research on ornamentals right now. How can we grow things better? What practices will help things be more sustainable, more efficient?

“Looking forward, this internship has shaped the trajectory of my career. I am now planning on pursuing graduate studies in ornamental horticulture, with the goal of improving both the environmental and financial sustainability of ornamental plant production.”

Photos courtesy of Aidan Souder.