AUGUST 2026
by Holly Larisch
The Washington National Cathedral’s Horticulture Department has welcomed two horticulture interns and two turf interns for the summer. Funded by the All Hallows Guild, this internship program provides students with valuable hands-on experience while supporting the horticulture staff during their busiest season. While the horticulture internship is well-established, the Turf Intern Program is now in its third year. This summer, the horticulture interns are focusing on the Close and Olmsted Woods gardens, while the turf interns are learning to care for the Cathedral grounds and the sports fields of the three campus schools.
The turf interns hail from the Annapolis area. Hayden Di Pietro, from Friendship, Maryland, is a rising Sophomore at University of Maryland in their Turf Management Program. He became aware of the program through Indeed as he looked for internships in his selected field. He switched majors last year to Turf Management, so he appreciates all that he is learning, especially the chemistry of caring for grass lawns. His goal is to work in the Sports/Turf Management field in either the NFL or MLB.
Hayden De Pietro and Garrett Simi
Garrett Simi, from Deale, Maryland, graduated with a degree in Sports Management from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. He found the internship through Linked In, as the Cathedral’s Head of Turf Management graduated from Catawba College. He currently is looking for a job in the field of Sports Management and appreciates learning about the turf aspect of Sports Management which was not covered in his coursework. The internship project for the turf interns this year was a friendly competition to see who can grow the best grass. They each were given a tray of soil and seeds and were told to research the best way to grow grass.
Mikaila Mims, from Washington, DC, will graduate in the spring of 2027 from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a degree in Environmental and Agricultural Systems with a concentration in Sustainable Land and Food Systems. Mikaila particularly enjoys working with the people here and supplementing her in-school learning with hands-on experience, specifically plant identification. While originally considering a career in agriculture, she is now leaning towards a career in greenhouse management.
Evelyn Arredondo, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is currently living in Nacogdoches, Texas, while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at the Stephen F. Austin State University. She will graduate in December with a concentration in Horticulture, inspired by her grandmother who taught her how to love and take care of plants. She learned about the Guild’s program by researching and then applying to internship programs offered by the public gardens she studied in class. Her favorite part of the job is learning about different pruning techniques, particularly the Chelsea Chop. Learning this technique early in the season gave her an opportunity to see how the plants flourished after pruning. Evelyn would like to work in tissue culture labs, which grow and study plant cells, tissues, or organs in a controlled environment. This internship is important to her because she knows the science but wanted to know about the plants, so plant identification has been an important part of her summer.
The Horticulture Internship project focused on the path to the Contemplative Circle in the Olmsted Woods: designing, creating a sun map and scale map, and plant selection. The interns’ goal was to create a relaxing environment using 100% native plants in cool purples and blues. The two horticulture interns carried their love of gardens to their off hours, traveling together to New York City to see the High Line for inspiration.
All Hallows Guild is proud of our longstanding program of supporting summer interns as they learn and grow in horticulture and turf management. The Close certainly benefits from their youthful energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas. We wish them well in their future endeavors.
