Four Learning by Leading™ students were awarded the Pinkerton Prize for Outstanding Student Contributions for going above and beyond in their roles as interns to support the Arboretum and Public Garden.

The Pinkerton Prize was established in the early 1990s by Bret Hewitt and his late wife Deborah Pinkerton, the first environmental education employee at the Arboretum and Public Garden. The prize honors exceptional Learning by Leading™ students participating in our environmental education programs.

Megha Karthik 

• 2024-2025, Arboretum Ambassador co-coordinator
• 2022-2024, Nature Rx apprentice and Arboretum Ambassador apprentice
• 2022, Nursery intern

Megha has been an incredible student leader throughout her time with us at the Arboretum and Public Garden. She began her journey here as a freshman, starting as a nursery intern, and has since taken on a variety of roles including Nature Rx Apprentice, Ambassador Apprentice, and most recently, Arboretum Ambassador co-coordinator. 

In her current role, Megha — alongside her co-coordinator and fellow Pinkerton Prize winner Toa Horikoshi — has led a team of 10 Arboretum Ambassadors with dedication and enthusiasm. Her leadership has been instrumental in strengthening programs and expanding our outreach. Notably, she helped connect the Arboretum and Public Garden with the UC Davis Sheepmowers and played a key role in organizing major events such as the plant sales, Biodiversity Museum Day and the California Honey Festival. 

Megha’s exceptional work ethic, emotional intelligence, and unwavering commitment to creating a sense of belonging for fellow students have been truly inspiring. Her contributions have left a lasting impact on our community, and we are so excited to see all that she will accomplish in the future.

Toa Horikoshi 

• 2024-2025, Arboretum Ambassador co-coordinator
• 2023-2024, Apprentice
• 2023, Education 142 - "Introduction to Environmental Education" Intern

Toa has been an outstanding student and a dedicated member of the Arboretum Ambassador program, showing remarkable growth throughout his journey. He began his involvement with the Arboretum and Public Garden as an intern through the course Education 142 - "Introduction to Environmental Education," where he quickly developed a deep passion for the program. 

Since then, Toa has taken on a leadership role, guiding a team of 10 Arboretum Ambassadors and playing a key part in enhancing the Arboretum and Public Garden. In his first year, he contributed to the sign cleaning initiative, carefully restoring the garden’s signage and helping maintain its welcoming atmosphere. 

As his leadership skills blossomed, Toa became a vital presence at plant sales and outreach events such as Chair Share and Sheepmower events, consistently representing the Arboretum and Public Garden with enthusiasm and professionalism. His unwavering dedication has helped foster a strong sense of community, and we are excited to see the continued positive impact he will make in the future.

Binti Sohn

• 2022-2025, Arboretum Ambassador newsletter writer

Binti has been an extraordinary force behind our Learning by Leading™ A New Leaf Newsletter, using her incredible writing talent to bring our stories to life week after week. Her ability to capture the essence of what’s happening in Learning by Leading programs™ and the Arboretum and Public Garden and share it with our community has made the newsletter a truly special part of our program. 

Beyond her writing, Binti has contributed in so many meaningful ways. She has supported student volunteers at plant sales over the years, led the creative efforts behind the Arboretum and Public Garden's 2024 Picnic Day float, and beautifully highlighted the journeys of graduating seniors by sharing their stories on our website. Most recently, she’s played a key role in launching our Learning by Leading™ Alumni Network initiative. 

Binti is a remarkable student leader whose creativity, dedication, and passion continue to inspire us. We are so grateful for all she’s done, and we hope she continues to share her voice and storytelling gifts with the world.

Sarah Kim 

• 2024-25, Apprentice
• 2023-2024, Co-coordinator
• 2022-2023, Habitat Horticulture intern

Curiosity and clear scientific communication are foundational strengths that Sarah has infused into her time with the Habitat Horticulture team. When she joined the Habitat Horticulture internship in 2022, Sarah's wildlife conservation background encouraged the team to look beyond pollinator interactions. She was motivated to learn her plants and was quick to notice biodiversity interactions in the gardens. As a co-coordinator in 2023, Sarah co-led the team during the pilot year of the Climate-Ready Gardening program. This program partnered with the United States Botanic Garden’s Plants and Climate Change Education cohort. Sarah and her co-coordinator worked with interns and master gardeners to build confidence in Climate Change outreach. With Sarah’s ideas and guidance, Habitat Horticulture created a Build Your Own Climate-Ready Gardening interactive game that premiered at the 2024 Biodiversity Museum Day event. This resource fostered even more community interactions at the California Honey Festival in Woodland, CA later that year. 

Sarah’s apprenticeship during 2024-25 shifted her focus to support the educational goals of the new Climate Adaptation Living Lab garden, a National Science Foundation-funded project that partners with the Meineke and Vannette labs and the UC Davis Art & Science Fusion program. Additionally, she developed and refined the Habitat Horticulture iNaturalist project, building opportunities for long-term data that supports plant sales, as well as year-long projects for interns to publish their findings. Sarah boosted her professional experience by co-presenting a talk on the Climate-Ready Gardening program at the California Society for Ecological Restoration’s annual conference in April 2025. 

Sarah’s strategic mind and futuristic outlook has broadened Habitat Horticulture’s opportunities for garden design application and engaging public outreach.