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February 1, 2024

Rooted in Passion: How YTT Shaped Cullen’s Career Path

By: Benjamin Shine

Meet Cullen Booth! A force of green goodness, Cullen embarked on his journey with the Youth Tree Team (YTT) back in 2014. From pruning crew to leader, Cullen’s YTT adventure molded him into the environmental champion he is today.

Now living in Indianapolis with his partner, Cullen rocks his role as a Natural Resources Technician, tackling invasive species and more in a 100-acre sculpture park at Fairbanks Park.

Keep reading as Cullen shares how YTT shaped his perspective, influenced his career, and made work feel like a game.

How did your experience with YTT contribute to your personal and professional growth?  Being a part of YTT was such a massive part of me becoming the person I am today. The people that I met, the passion they had for their work, their kindness, it was just infectious. I’ve spoken about my time with YTT in every interview I’ve had, every conference I’ve attended, singing the praises of a program that I’ve felt should be a thing in every city. It’s been the foot in the door for every professional advancement that’s come up. 

Can you share specific moments or projects that had a lasting impact? One specific moment is kinda hard to pin down. It may have made even more of an impact to just see the results of years of what barely felt like work. I didn’t stop to think that we were planting and watering hundreds of trees every year. But now when I drive around Indy, I can’t go far without pointing out trees that were a part of an old watering site, or that I planted myself. It’s honestly incredible.

How has your involvement in YTT program influenced your career path or further studies in the environmental field? I grew up with a horticulturalist for a mom & a dad whose lifelong calling has been wildlife education. I joke that I didn’t have a choice in going into an environmental field but there was really nothing else I could have done, it’s what I’ve always cared about. My time with YTT cemented the path I wanted to take, and directly shaped what I think is my ideal role in the field.

Did it open up new opportunities or shape your aspirations for the future? YTT equipped me with a skill set and discipline that has been vital to every job I’ve had since. Understanding the people around me better, and doing what I can to have the things around me run as smoothly as possible, even if it feels chaotic in the moment. As far as aspirations, It is truly wild to me that KIB is the only KAB affiliate that has a program like YTT. Since my time in the program I’ve wanted to figure out why that is and what I could do to help change that. Life comes at you fast so I haven’t gotten far on that yet, but I have hopes to still be able to make that a reality before too long.

As a past participant, what were the key takeaways from your time with YTT? I think over most things, that it is fully ok to make work fun. YTT leaders and each manager I had the pleasure of working with managed to make what could very easily have been dull work almost game-like. Which crew could mulch the most trees in a day? How fast could your crew finish a site? With the reward of an Icee at the end, anything was possible. By the end of a summer, you would have a crew of 10-12 high schoolers who the majority had never met before they hopped in the van together on the first day, be a well oiled machine completing tasks left and right with smiles on their faces. So much care was put into making the experience as educational and entertaining as possible, and now I can appreciate how very special and unique that is.

How did the skills and knowledge gained during the program benefit you in your subsequent endeavors? So as it turns out, showing folks how to plant a tree comes up far more than you would expect! I’ve been lucky enough to lead a few tree plantings both here at Newfields and with Resilient Pike. Most of the work ethic I’ve developed came from a place of wanting to see my crew succeed and doing what I could to make that happen; and I certainly like to think that that has carried over into my other endeavors!

For those considering applying to the YTT program, what advice would you give them based on your own experience? DO IT! Take the leap! It doesn’t matter how little you know about trees or if you have zero experience outside. I had plenty of coworkers, myself included, that came in knowing nothing about anything our managers were telling us; the first time they’d watered anything was at the application planting! Heck, even if you are only somewhat interested because you get a paid lunch, the love for nature and desire to help make Indy greener will come with the gig. Come with a desire to have a good time outside and meet other people who want the same. It really was as simple as that when I started, and it ended up being one of the best experiences I could have hoped for.

    INTERESTED IN APPLYING?!

    Keep scrolling for more information about our Youth Tree Team Participant and Leader applications.

    Youth Tree Team Program (For High School Students)

    Our Youth Tree Team (YTT) program is perfect for high school students looking to make a positive impact on their community while gaining valuable work readiness training. Join us in maintaining over 3,000 trees planted each year, ensuring their survival during hot Indiana summers.

    The details:

    Youth Tree Team Leaders (Age 19+)

    Young adults and college students looking for summer employment with our Youth Tree Team can serve as leaders helping to guide and oversee the work YTT accomplishes throughout the summer.

    The details:

    Categories: Community Forestry, Education, Engaged Citizens, Habitat Restoration, Trees and Native Habitats, Youth Tree Team