A local florist recently got the opportunity to travel overseas after completing her European Masters Certification (EMC). 

Poppy Parsons, owner and lead florist of Smart Flowers in Swift Current, is officially the first in her field in the province with the title. 

She completed foundation and practicum levels last fall through distance learning and submissions, and was invited to the advanced study in Bruges, Belgium, where a graduation ceremony was celebrated. 

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“This is just a really fantastic opportunity that just started to reignite my passion with COVID and things going on in the world these days,” Parsons said. “It was really perfect timing to be able to continue my education and learn and grow without having to leave my community.”

The world-renowned training and educational program has been around for ten years and was started by Tomas De Bruyne of Belgium and Hitomi Gilliam of British Columbia. 

Before the pandemic classes were in person from start to finish, but two years ago everything became virtual.  

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Parsons said her motto is ‘Always learning, always growing,’ therefore she jumped at the opportunity to further her education.  

“Being in that environment with other like-minded individuals and people trying to learn and grow, and just to be just a little florist from Swift Current, Saskatchewan to be involved in that just made me feel humbled and proud,” Parsons said. “To achieve such a huge accomplishment—I don’t even know how to say it. It's just amazing to be part of that floral family.” 

Not only is Parsons the sole florist in Saskatchewan with the title, but she is also one of the less than 10 in Canada who have attained the certification.  

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With the European Masters Certification, she added that there’s a possibility for opportunities down the road to travel with the rest of her team doing larger installations and events. 

“I'm just trying to broaden what we see every day, sharing the joy of flowers in a different way,” Parsons said. “Just trying different things and introducing new things to our community, new styles and new looks. It's really like a dream come true; the whole experience was just phenomenal.”