From high school drop out to university, life is looking good for landscaper Dakhari
When Dakhari Wade began working as a landscape gardener he discovered parts of the island he never knew existed.
The young horticulturalist, a recent recipient of a scholarship from the Garden Club of Bermuda, said he has had the privilege of visiting many beautiful places while working in his chosen field.
“I have done residential and commercial landscape gardening and got to work all over the place. I worked at the Botanical Gardens, the Arboretum.
“I have worked at the Southampton Princess, Tucker’s Point as well as for different companies around the island and saw parts of Bermuda I didn’t know existed. It showed me what I could with horticulture.”
Mr Wade, 24, last month became the first graduate of the government’s Skills Development Programme to receive a scholarship from the Garden Club.
He was a graduate of the Department of Parks’ programme run by Roger Parris in 2014/15 before moving to Sousa's Landscape Management Co and then the Department of Works and Engineering.
The scholarship will help to fund a foundation year in Horticulture at Nottingham Trent University in the UK which Mr Wade hopes to top up to a full Bachelor’s Degree. Then on graduation he aims to bring his skills back to the island.
He said: “I am hoping to come back to Bermuda and teach horticulture at college or even start my own school. I’d really like to see more modern techniques being used here.”
Mr Wade said some of his friends and teachers didn’t think he would get very far in life after he dropped out of high school but said that since being featured in the media on receiving his scholarship, many had reached out to him to congratulate him on his success.
He said he would love to encourage more young people to enter the field.
He added: “I want to be part of the next generation of those getting into horticulture. I love to do it as it connects me to the earth – it is a nice way to relax. It can be hard work but I like to stay fit – it is like getting free gym classes.
“It can get hot in the sun so you just have to drink a lot of water and take breaks.
“I don’t think enough young people have seen it or understand it is an option – I would like to change that.”
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