b'Instead, a research assistant job with a molecu- teach from the textbook, but also to share experi-lar plant breeder in Nepal, shifted his future. ences, Djordjevic says. What we like to see isHe was my first inspiration who helped mewhen the students begin to apply what they learn. dream about becoming a molecular plant breeder,And not wait until end of the year or end of the which Im not yet. Im working towards it, Tha says. graduation and then begin to immediately apply.For Tha, perhaps the biggest surprise wasnt Finding Clarity Through Mentorship the sciencebut the sense of belonging.That seed grew. After earning his masters inFirst day of the class, we had to do two-min-plant genetics and crop improvement in England,ute presentation about ourselves, so I got really Tha joined CN Seedsa company known foremotional, because I never had any teachers in my its open-pollinated varietiesand never left.life, he said. They said we are here in the journey Sixteen years later, the UC Davis Plant Breedingtogether for next two years and more. That really Academy helped him find a renewed purposetouched me.and gave him the confidence to push CN Seeds into new territory.As a thesis, which we have to write to gradu-ate the academy, I chose hybrid breeding in pak choi (bok choy), he says. Now I have started implementing that in reality as well. So its been six months, and we already harvested our first round of crossed seeds.But technical breakthroughs werent the only transformation. The mentorship he received at UC Davisparticularly from Jovan Djordjevic, director of education for the Plant Breeding Academychanged how he approached his role and priorities.I think the first thing when I think about him is him teaching me you need to know what not to do, Tha said. You will have millions of things that you want to do, but you need to know what not to do. I apply that almost every day nowadays. Sujit Tha (right) in the field with his mentor and UC Davis Plant Breeding Specifically, Tha has adopted several ofAcademy director Jovan Djordjevic.Djordjevics suggestions, such as:1. Dont try to do everything at once.2.Dont apply the same breeding strategy toA Global Classroom with Global Impactevery crop. In Nepal, Tha said, he was often learning from 3. Dont do anything without strategic value. books that were 20 years out of date. Even when he moved to the UK, the pace of instruction often Turning Lessons into Action left him feeling behind. But the Plant Breeding Before enrolling in PBA, Tha was runningAcademy gave him something those experiences breeding programs in at least seven or eightnever couldimmediate application, internationalDID YOU KNOW? species in the UK. His work included coriander,connection and a shared vision for the future. Agriculture employs pak choi, dill and more. In the room, in that class, we had 21 differentabout 6065% of Jovan told me, as a small company of our size,breeders from different companies sharing culture,Nepals population and we shouldnt be spreading ourselves very thinly,experiencesI think that is one of the unique sell- contributes around he says. So we challenged ourselves. We sat downing points of the academy, he said. And I would2530% of the GDP. and came up with where we really want to focus,also say this course is literally a zero-to-hero, kind and I can apply so many breeding techniques inof course.those (areas). From a farm in Nepal to the fields of England, Djordjevic saw Tha as a model studentoneand from open pollination to hybrid systemswho didnt wait for a graduation date to startThas story isnt just about a course. Its about what implementing change. happens when the right tools meet the right heart One of the roles of instructors is not only toand talent.SWSEPTEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /43'