Natural Resources: Agricultural Inspector
Natural Resources
Agricultural Inspector: Jonathan Ho
By Mike Yoshiura
Growing up in Kane‘ohe, Jonathan Ho always had a curiosity when it came to science. His passion for plants, animals and insects made him the perfect candidate for a job as agricultural inspector with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch. Not to mention, he doesn’t mind handling a Python Regius, more commonly known as a Ball Python. “In high school I wanted to do something in the field of science. I always signed up for science courses,” Jonathan Ho said. “In college anything that ended in ‘logy,’ I took it.”
His story may have a happy ending, but things didn’t come easy for Jonathan. He scratched and clawed his way through college, and his career goal finally became a reality about 12 months ago…
A Slow Start
Throughout his high school years, Jonathan was a mediocre student with a knack for science. He played the bass clarinet, lettered in soccer and got mostly B’s and C’s on his report cards. It’s not that Jonathan was a bad student, he just wasn’t prepared for college or a future career. “I never really thought about it (college) until it was too late. I always thought I would go to UH (the University of Hawai‘i) because it was right next door to Mid Pac (Mid Pacific Institute). A lot of the schools I wanted to go to, I didn’t qualify for.”
In 1997, Jonathan graduated from the private high school in Ma - noa, and went on to attend UH in the fall. Like most first-year college students, Jonathan needed time to uncover what he was passionate about. Jonathan’s situation is an example of why it’s crucial to get a head start on planning for the future. “Initially, I wanted to do Marine Biology. After taking classes and talking to teachers I was like, I don’t want to do this anymore! I started taking tons of courses that were related to science. I must have took every science course UH had to offer. I just wasn’t sure what career was right for me.”
Different Isn't Always Bad
After weeding through the science classes offered at UH, Jonathan declared Plant and Environmental Protection Science (PEPS) as his major. Many of the required courses for a PEPS degree is in the field of entomology, in layman’s terms, the scientific study of insects and plants. “I wanted to take something that I was into. When I took entomology courses I was like, hey this is different. It was just so different from everything I learned about before.”
Internship Opportunities
To fulfill a graduation requirement Jonathan interned with Dow AgroSciences, a multi national corporation that specializes in pest management and biotechnology products. Jonathan spent the summer of 2004 doing quality control, inspecting random Sentricon stations with a company representative. “It was an opportunity for me to apply the knowledge I acquired in school. It was with termites so it was right up my alley. It was something that I really got into.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Today the number of non-traditional college students is on the rise. A non-traditional college student is a student older than the typical (usually aged 17-23) undergraduate college student.When Jonathan graduated from UH he was 26 years old, classifying him as a non-traditional graduate.
In Jonathan’s fifth year of college he switched to part-time status to fit his work schedule in with his classes. In the long run it may not have been the best decision, but Jonathan showed perseverance and graduated in 2006.“My family was a big part of it. They made sure that I stuck with it.My parents would always tell me that there’s no future without school.”
Job Descriptions
Jonathan recently made a year with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch, and his job duties entail regulating domestic importation of plants, propagated and non-propagated (seeds, cut flower, or produce) plant parts and non-domestic animals and microorganisms.
The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch has what they call an “illegal pet shop,” which is a holding place for about three-dozen illegal pets. The pet shop consists of two rooms the size of your average high school classroom, and it’s home to every invasive species imaginable, from the Madagascar hissing cockroach to the Ball Python. “You would be surprised of all the weird stuff you see. There are tons of weird animals here.”
Jonathan’s patience bought him enough time to find an enjoyable career. His fortitude got him through nine years of college, and today he is seeing a return on his investment. “I never would have imagined that this is where I would end up. In the end, when you get that degree make sure it’s something you enjoy.”
