At 46 years old, Jeffrey Monette is proving that it’s never too late to follow your passion or to make a difference.
The Oswego resident commutes an hour and 15 minutes each way to SUNY Morrisville several times a week. But for him, the long drive is a small price to pay for a future rooted in sustainability and a chance to make a meaningful impact on the world.
Monette graduated in May with an associate degree in horticulture and a certificate in specialty crops & cannabis production. Now, he’s pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in horticulture business management and agricultural science with a focus on agronomy.
“I have always been a lifelong learner and fell in love with Morrisville,” he said about his decision to return to college. “I like to play in my imagination a lot and going back to study expands my color palette. I reached a point in my life where I’ve been on auto pilot and am now looking for more.”
That desire for more — more knowledge, more purpose, more connection to the world around him — is exactly what he’s found at SUNY Morrisville. A full-time job, family and the demands of commuting aren’t slowing him down.
This summer, Monette’s undertaking a 15-credit internship focused on sustainability initiatives, including helping launch the college’s food forest, an innovative, regenerative agricultural project that mimics the structure of a natural forest to create a self-sustaining ecosystem of edible plants. The project will not only benefit the college, but also the community.
Monette is working with Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, associate professor of agricultural science, on the one-acre plot. For the next two months, Monette will be helping to plant and develop a GIS map of the food forest to help organize and coordinate future planting efforts.
Signs of progress are everywhere on the property that was once an apple orchard. Amid the old trees, new life is taking root — clusters of rhubarb, marigolds, garlic, persimmons and much more. The space under an old apple tree will eventually thrive with mushrooms.
Driven by curiosity, Monette is making the most of his internship, which also includes composting and research into hemp fiber dyeing. His willingness to dive into every opportunity distinguishes him as a student.
“It is amazing how engaged he wants to be,” Gilbert Jenkins said. “As an adult learner, he brings a unique perspective to the classroom, enriching discussions with his life experience and unwavering commitment to sustainability. He has educational maturity and he takes it even further with all of his life experience.”
Halfway through his horticulture degree, Monette decided to add agricultural science to his studies.
“The magic happens in the crossover of the subjects,” he said. “Agriculture isn’t strictly outdoors anymore. There are so many new and exciting disciplines related to agriculture that are in the shades of both worlds,” he said.
With a strong background in facilities management and building science, Monette is eager to channel his expertise into the world of agricultural innovation. He’s already bringing that vision to life at home, where he’s built a personal lab and is conducting hands-on experiments and self-directed research with tissue cultures on succulent and orchid species during his weekends. His wife, Katrina, and daughter Robin, have been enthusiastic supporters of his journey every step of the way.
His passion is evident on campus, too. An active member of the college’s Sustainability Council, he’s contributed to reforestation efforts by planting trees and led an Earth Day initiative to construct owl boxes to support cavity-nesting owl populations.
“What inspires me is self-improvement and helping others,” said Monette, who is also teaching himself several languages, including Chinese. He has online contacts that communicate strictly in their native language and does not want to miss any opportunity to learn or share knowledge.
With no signs of stopping, he’s now setting his sights on graduate school at Cornell University, where he plans to study plant biotechnology through the School of Integrative Plant Science within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
