Jessica Newman

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Jessica found Bidwell Training Center through a random Google search. She doesn’t remember what she asked for, only what she was looking for—something that combined her love of nature with a tangible way to contribute to the world around her. “I knew that I loved nature, and I knew that I wanted to do something that felt like I was contributing to society and the environment in a way that felt respectful and productive.”

 

Bidwell’s Horticulture program surfaced as a possibility, and one crucial detail made it feel possible: it was free.​​

In addition to the no-cost model, Bidwell provided something especially valuable—a direct pathway to industry contacts and future job opportunities. “I was able to go into it knowing the other end of this had industry contacts with the intent of employment, whatever that may look like for me.”

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What it looked like was an externship with Restoreth Roots, the restoration and conservation-focused business run by Bidwell alumna Jen Senchak.  Their work blends technical projects like GIS mapping with storytelling about restoration efforts, an ideal intersection for someone who loves both the natural world and the craft of communication.

 

“It’s ecological restoration,” Jen says, describing the organization’s core mission, “but really, it’s about connecting people to the environment.” She emphasizes that Restoreth Roots approaches conservation as something personal and relational, not distant or abstract. “Instead of speaking about the environment like it’s something separate that needs to be taken care of,” she explains, “we’re helping people realize they’re part of it. That they’re being cared for, too, when we take care of the environment.”

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That approach aligned perfectly with what Jessica was looking for out of a new career. “I feel so lucky that I was able to connect with Jen and do this work that is directly involving the community, educating the community, and doing good for our world,” she says. Throughout her career, Jessica has been drawn to opportunities where collaboration is central, and she found that at Restoreth Roots. “Part of what I really enjoyed about all of my jobs has been the team aspect of it,” she explains. “I don’t like making decisions as a silo. I like being able to . . . to wrap my head around the problem and problem-solve together.”

 

That spirit of collaboration shapes how Restoreth Roots interacts with the public, and Jessica describes Jen as someone who excels at the interpersonal side. “That is what Jen does best, she figures out how to meet people in their place,” she says, and Jessica has adopted that approach into her own skillset. “It’s about finding the personal connection that makes the work matter. They may not care about the native plants,” she says, “but maybe they care about pretty flowers. Maybe they grew up with a tire swing under a tree. How do you pull that into the conversation?”

 

Senchak picked up on Jessica’s collaborative potential very quickly. “Jessica is versatile, adaptable, and willing to try anything,” she says. During one hands-on workday, Senchak recalls, Jessica stood out not by talking the loudest, but by stepping forward when it mattered most. “She was the first and only person who volunteered to operate the heaviest and most technically demanding piece of equipment we had.” For Senchak, that attitude reflects something she has consistently seen in Bidwell graduates. “Work ethic is the undeniable thread,” she says. “Even if they don’t have all the technical skills or experience needed for a job, they come to the table with an attitude of, ‘I’m interested. I can do it. I want to learn.’”

 

Before arriving at Bidwell, Jessica spent several years as an executive assistant at a consulting firm and, before that, worked at a nonprofit food rescue organization. That experience left a lasting impression. Not just because the impact of the mission, but because she saw how hard it is to sustain good work when funding comes in fits and starts. “It's really difficult when you have good people working for you, and you're trying to pay them well and not overwork them, but you’re also struggling to keep the lights on.”

 

That tension sits at the center of the career shift she’s making now. Horticulture and conservation attract people with big hearts, but the jobs most aligned with those values often exist in underfunded nonprofit and public sectors. “I think a lot of people who go into horticulture specifically want to make an environmental difference. It’s hard to have both a big heart and need money,” she says.

 

Still, Jessica is quick to point out that her story isn’t one of desperation. She wasn’t forced into a new path, she chose one. “I don’t want to be presented as down on my luck, because I am privileged,” she explains. Rather than a lifeline, she was looking for work that felt grounded and worth her time. “I'm lucky. My partner and I have been able to build our life to make it easier to make the decision to pursue something different.”

 

As she moves deeper into the horticulture field, Jessica is still holding onto the questions that matter most to her—how to make a living in harmony with her principles, how to best impart a sense of environmental urgency to people, and how to build a career rooted in something that will retain her interest and passion long-term.

 

Her answers are still unfolding, but she has clearly demonstrated that meaningful change doesn’t always start with a grand plan. It often begins with the willingness to embrace discomfort, even before the full future comes into focus. And the decision to bend your life around what you care about.

 

Jessica has demonstrated that a grand plan and a dramatic inflection point are not the only origins of change. The simple decision to face discomfort head-on and the resolve to rebuild your life in alignment with what you care about most is just as powerful of a seed.​​