“Everybody had to start from somewhere”

Michael Jimenez is the horticulture extension agent for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Harris County, right here in Houston, where he helps people grow healthy plants with a focus on native plants and plant disease. He started college studying mechanical engineering, switched to biology, and worked as an EMT before he ever thought about plants as a career. We asked him how that happened, what a Houston teen can do this month, and whether professionals really want to hear from students who are just starting out.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

From engineering to EMT to plants

You studied biology at UH-Downtown and worked as an EMT before becoming an extension agent. Back in high school, did you know you wanted to work with plants, or did you figure it out later? How did you go from being an EMT to horticulture?

“Back in high school, I was actually studying for mechanical engineering. After my first semester in that field, I decided to move away from that and focus more on biology, because I felt I had more of a passion for it. I wanted to stay in the medical field and do a little more lab work.”

“In one of my last years of university, I had two professors that were absolutely phenomenal, and they were so passionate about plants. They were like, ‘Hey, why don’t you give it a try?’ I was working as an EMT for two years during that time, and I had just finished graduating, so I thought, let me just apply and throw my hat in the ring. There was a position open in the Clear Lake area as an extension assistant for their wetlands program. I got the job, and I figured I’d stay for a little bit, see how I liked it, and keep my medical options open. Then I just kind of fell in love with it and dove headfirst. I worked in the wetlands field for two years, and then transitioned over to this role just this past June.”

Were those two professors the biggest impact on getting you here?

“Those two were probably the biggest impact. I had to take an environmental course as part of the biology degree, and I wasn’t fully on board with all the studying of plants and plant identification. I thought it was cool, but I wasn’t that interested. They really showed me that there’s a lot more to it than just plant identification, that there’s all this extra stuff I might be interested in. So I’d definitely give credit to them and say they were my biggest inspirations.”

Try as much as you can while you’re young

A lot of teens don’t really know what to go into. Should they explore different fields first? Do they have to be 100% sure? And should they go into a field they love, or one they know they’re talented in?

“I think you should try and experience as much as you can while you’re young, while you still have a lot of time. Volunteer at certain places. If you want to go to the Houston SPCA and see if you like working with animals, 100%, go for it. If you want to volunteer with planting events, garden cleanups or bayou cleanups, go for it. Maybe don’t throw all your eggs in one basket. Spread yourself out a little and see what’s out there around Harris County, or even further. One of the biggest things is just putting yourself out there and finding opportunities that you might not know if you like or not, but you might find that you really do.”

“For the second part, you have to go into something you at least have some type of passion about. If you’re going into a job or any type of event just to do it, you’re not really going to be happy, and it’s not going to be as fulfilling. I found that I really enjoyed teaching. We had a couple of Scout merit badge days, and I absolutely fell in love with it, so I tried my hand at programming, and that’s how I got into this role. Now I do about four garden presentations a month. You have to have some passion about the things you’re going into.”

What a Houston teen can do this month

A lot of teens in Houston walk past sick trees, empty lots and yards full of plants, and don’t know what to do about it. What are some small actions a teen can take this month to make an impact on their community?

“One of the biggest things is probably volunteering. There are a lot of garden cleanups and bayou cleanups throughout the year. Recently, over at Exploration Green in Clear Lake, they had a Squawk Walk that was basically getting information out to the public. Volunteering and being part of events like that, or just being out in the community and finding out what’s needed in your specific area, is going to benefit your community as a whole.”

“Most importantly, find your little niche that you like doing. If you like talking to a lot of people, get involved in organizations like the Master Naturalists or Master Gardeners. You can gather a lot of information from those groups and then spread it to other people. Teach about why native plants are better than invasives, or the dangers of invasives. Talk about water-smart issues: how can we conserve water, how can we start practicing green infrastructure? Getting that knowledge and sharing it with the public is a huge impact that we can make.”

“Everybody had to start from somewhere”

A lot of teens feel like they don’t have enough experience or knowledge to reach out to experts. How willing are professionals to talk with teens about what a field is like and where it’s going?

“I’d say most professionals are going to be pretty open to having newer people come into the field, mainly because everybody had to start from somewhere. When I first started working at the wetlands, I had no background other than about three classes in plants. Everything I had done up until that point was medicine and microbiology. I walked in completely out of my field. But when you find the right connections and the right people who are willing to give you a chance and sit down with you, you can find a place where you’re able to learn as much as you can.”

What would you tell students who are too intimidated to reach out?

“I used to be pretty intimidated about doing it as well. Honestly, you just have to take a leap of faith on that one. You really have to put yourself out there and trust that the people you’re reaching out to, especially when they’re working in the public sector, really want to be there for the people. They want to help as many people as they can.”

“If you’re interested in agriculture, 4-H, family and community health, or horticulture, we have organizations like Urban Harvest, the Master Gardeners, the Master Naturalists, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. I’m promoting these mostly because I work with them the closest, but there are plenty of organizations out there that are more than willing to talk with people who are nervous, or who are reaching out to a professional for the first time. These people have a wealth of knowledge that they’re happy to share.”

The setbacks, and what kept him going

It’s easy to assume someone’s road to their career was smooth. What were your setbacks, and what kept you going?

“Early in my career, I came in with no background in wetlands, wetland delineation or any type of reporting. I was coming into most of it brand new. We were doing site installations, and I didn’t know anything about those types of plants. But what kept me going was that I found I had a passion for learning about plants, learning how they worked, and getting to see a side of the world I never got to see before. I just kept wanting to learn more and more, even as the work got harder. In Houston we have our wonderful 105, 110 degree summers, and we’d still be working out there.”

“The biggest thing was that I had a really good team I got to work alongside, really good mentors who taught me a lot, and a really good support system. Those were the big three that helped me keep going and keep wanting to learn.”

“Having good people in your corner is huge. If you’re just getting started, talk to people who are experienced and tell them, ‘Hey, I don’t know where to start. What’s a good spot to start in?’ A lot of times they’ll just help guide you.”

“No regrets, really”

What’s one thing about building a career you wish you knew at 15 or 16? And if you could go back, would you take the same path?

“Honestly, I think I would have kept the exact same path, because the experiences I got as an EMT and studying in university have helped me in many other ways. It might not pertain to this job right now, but the experiences I gained the whole time have left me with no regrets, really, because otherwise I’d be a completely different person than I am today.”

“One thing I do wish I knew back then was that this was an opportunity. I didn’t know about AgriLife Extension until my last year of university, and I didn’t know about a lot of the green industry fields, or the environmental teaching side of it. I knew there were environmental and biology teachers, but I didn’t know there was more to it than being an academic teacher.”

He agreed that saying yes to opportunities is how you find out. “Typically, yeah. You’ll at least be able to know if you like something or don’t like something before you dive headfirst into it.”

“I just knew that I wanted to help people”

Is there anything else you want people watching to know?

“The biggest thing I want people to know is that it’s important to find the thing you really enjoy doing, and stick to that as much as you can. It might not even be in the field you’re thinking of. When I was younger, I just knew that I wanted to help people. So I went into EMT to help people there. Then I realized maybe I wasn’t as good on the front lines as I thought I was, so I wanted to help people from the background with lab work. Then I realized that teaching adults, teaching youth, or doing programming is a way I can help people in a different capacity than what I originally thought. Finding what you really enjoy can branch out into many more areas than you’d expect.”

He also left the door open. “If anybody wants to reach out, you can reach out to our office. We’re here Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 4.” The Harris County office is at harris.agrilife.org, 713-274-0950.

Thank you to Michael Jimenez for taking the time to talk with thirdauthor.

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