Profile: Zach Norman

Zachary Norman is a student in the horticulture program at the University of Cincinnati. Last fall, he visited the CGC for the first time when his herbaceous ornamentals class came here for a tour. He remembers how much he admired the diversity of plants tucked away in such an urban setting. But it was the passion and exuberance of the CGC staff that really stuck with him. So, he decided to come back in the summer of 2023 for an informal internship.

Zach served five years in the U.S. Navy. He spent 206 continuous days at sea as a logistics specialist on an aircraft carrier during the pandemic. This floating city of 5,000 Navy personnel was about as far as one could get from plants and gardens and wildlife.

When he was around ten or eleven years old, Zach was badly stung by bees and saw most insects primarily as pests. Now he says he sees how they are part of this whole ecology, and his favorite spot at the CGC is where we have our beehive.

He’s also blown away by what we’re learning about trees and their ability to communicate with one another. He likes to think about how many of the trees at the Hauck Botanic Garden were here well before he was even born and will, hopefully, be here long after he’s gone.

We’ve been impressed with Zach's work ethic and weren’t surprised when he shared that he believes it’s the content of your character and the quality of your work that matters most. He goes all in on whatever he’s doing, and it shows.

Recently, as Zach sat watching the demolition of almost an entire block of buildings across the street from the CGC, he said he was struck by the contrast between what was coming down and what the CGC is nurturing through its work. “Working here makes me happy and just seeing green makes me feel good,” he said. And then, since we are now “abnormally dry” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Zach got back to watering some of those many Hauck trees.