This month, we are delighted to introduce Karina Gomez Villalobos who comes from Costa Rica. She was part of emPLANT Intake 2 (2019-2021).

She studied at the Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle in France during her first academic year and at the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain during her second academic year.

🌸 From Passion to Profession: A Career in Floriculture

My current role is Starting Material Lead at Syngenta Flowers, based in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands. I have always had a strong passion for flowers, and from a young age I have been involved in this sector. During my studies, I consistently sought internships focused on floriculture, and I completed my final internship at Syngenta Flowers. After completing it, I was offered a position at the company, where I have now been working for nearly five years.
Working with plants – especially those with colorful flowers – brings me a great deal of joy and excitement. I am also highly interested in learning about new cultures, languages, and organizations. In my work, I always strive to give my best, continuously looking for opportunities to improve processes and contribute positively to the team.

 
🌍 A Key Skill: Adapting Across Cultures
The main skill I learned was adapting to new circumstances and cultures. Every 6 months, I moved to a new city or country and I learned about cultures,  languages, ways of thinking and working, which broadened my perspective and opened up new opportunities and ideas that also connected to the professional side.

 
💬 A Memorable emPLANT Moment
I will never forget that during the COVID-19 period, the internationals had a great time at UniLaSalle. While the world around us was confined indoors, we had a large campus to study, play, and interact with our small community, which also allowed me to learn French, and then I had the opportunity (with the French language) to do an internship at Enza Zaden.

 
✨ Fun Fact
I have two passions, flowers and sharks. So I do know weird things about the underwater life.

 
Karina Gomez Villalobos
📍 From Costa Rica 🇨🇷 → The Netherlands 🇳🇱
🎓 Second emPLANT Intake (2019–2021)