Taylor Gibbs-Little will be the first to tell you that when she arrived at Temple she wasn’t quite ready to put herself out there.

Two remarkable study abroad experiences at Temple Japan and Temple Rome changed all of that.

“My proudest moments at Temple are both of my study abroad experiences. My semester at Temple Japan was the first time ever leaving the country and it was a life-changing experience for me,” said Gibbs-Little, who is graduating in May with degrees in both Horticulture, offered by the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and Psychology, offered by the College of Liberal Arts. “When I arrived in Japan, I was initially shy and very anxious but being able to go out in a completely foreign country, you’re treated like an independent adult. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was being treated like I could make my own decisions.”

Coming back from that experience, Gibbs-Little said, “was when I felt like my own person for the first time.”

Gibbs-Little took her newfound confidence several steps further during a summer psychology internship at Temple Rome in 2025. Her experiences working at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center in Rome, she said, made her “all the more passionate about horticultural therapy,” a profession she’s planning to pursue after graduation.

“You’re talking to people, helping them — even if there is a language barrier — you’re making these important connections. I was helping in the women’s room, assisting them with getting necessities, like clothes, and with psychosocial engagement,” she said. “I helped them with community resources so they could discover job opportunities and how to work with a computer so they could apply for citizenship and permits; I was also able to help in an English teaching class.”

The idea of developing a food crops garden at the refugee center came to her the first day, according to Gibbs-Little.

“They asked me what I was doing in school and I told them of was pursuing degrees in horticulture and psychology. I mentioned that I had noticed that the center had a courtyard that was disused and I wondered if I could revamp it,” she said. “They had a kitchen that they ran, but it was mostly processed, boxed foods. I asked them about possibly starting a food crops garden.”

The center jumped at the opportunity to create a new way to connect with the refugees they were assisting.

“They helped me get seeds and went to a nursey with me to help me pick out plants and other things we would need. Some of the refugees also helped me plant the garden,” she said. “The entire experience truly broadened my perspective on life. Going abroad in the first place was very eye opening but being able to see and talk to people who have gone through struggles that you couldn’t even imagine, it makes you realize that even when life is feeling really challenging, you will get through it — you will persevere.”

According to Gibbs-Little, her experiences abroad helped to solidify her decision to major in both horticulture and psychology.

“I was always outside as a kid, I’ve always enjoyed being in nature, but I initially never thought about it as a career until I started working at a flower shop — I realized I enjoyed designing and working with plants specifically,” she said. “I also have a passion for community wellness, particularly working with refugees or with immigrant populations, which drew me to horticultural therapy.”

Gibbs-Little said she decided to double major to immerse herself in all of the skills she would need as a horticultural therapist.

“What I discovered is that I really like psychology and didn’t want to choose between the two — I wanted to challenge myself. Horticultural Therapy is the perfect balance between working with plants and working with people” she said. “What drew me to Temple were the study abroad opportunities and the landscape architecture and horticulture programs. I think what sets Temple’s horticulture program apart is that you are learning in an accredited arboretum that historically began as the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women — it’s a wonderful legacy to build on and I love the community at Temple Ambler.”

At Temple Ambler, Gibbs-Little works for Facilities Management, learning integrated pest management and turf grass management while also providing support for the campus Administration Building. Outside of campus, she works at Market Blooms in the Reading Terminal Market. She was also one of a group of horticulture majors that worked with Tyler School of Art and Architecture Jack Wolgin Visiting Artist Sam Van Aken and his “Tree of 40 Fruit” — a single grafted tree that produces 40 varieties of peaches, cherries, apricots, plums and other stone fruits. 

“That was an interesting project because I had done very little grafting before that. I’m excited to the see the tree flower and bear fruit in the coming years — it’s a great legacy to be part of,” she said. “What I love about Temple Ambler is that if I’m having a hard day, I can just go for a walk in the Arboretum or visit the (Tyler School of Art and Architecture) Greenhouse and just have a nice conversation with like-minded people. I think my time at Temple has been worth every second and every penny — I don’t think I would have had the same experience at any other school.”

Degree nearly in hand, in the short-term Gibbs-Little is planning to continue working in horticulture “to put what I’ve learned in the classroom into practice.” She is also interested in the Temple University Rome Alumni Educational Assistantship Program, she said.

“In the Temple Rome program you have the opportunity to help out the current study abroad students, chaperoning activities, field trips and assisting on the administration side of things,” she said. “After that I’d like to pursue a master’s in occupational therapy — I would love to go abroad for my master’s — before ultimately becoming a horticultural therapist.”

Gibbs-Little’s advice for students starting on this part of their educational journey that she is about to complete is simple — “if you are scared something or if something causes you any sort of anxiety, just face it head on.”

“I feel that is the best way to get to know yourself and to grow the most as a person,” she said. “If you’re scared of having a conversation with your professor or getting involved on campus, you feel so much better after to realize ‘I did it!’ You are better than your fear!”