Horticulturist Susan Tripp has a gift for listening intentionally, caring actively and living authentically, traits she shares with students as she empowers them to grow into the truest versions of themselves.
Sometimes it’s not the grand gestures that we remember most but the tender constants, the gentle souls who make unfamiliar places feel like home.
I met Susan under Elon’s oak trees, where quiet kindness bloomed in the most unexpected places. Susan worked in the landscaping department, hands in the soil, heart wide open. I was a wide-eyed international student from Cambodia, far from home and still learning how to belong. When many things still felt unfamiliar — the routines, the seasons, even the food — Susan was someone I could count on to be kind.
She greeted me like sunshine, radiant and grounding, unafraid to linger in real conversation. We shared stories, sometimes beside the Japanese Maple in the Meditation Garden, sometimes on my way to Alamance while she tended to the daffodils or pulled weeds by Fonville Fountain. I’d tell her about my hometown in Siem Reap, about the mangoes in my front yard, the rice paddies next to my house, and she’d tell me about her family and the early blooms in the garden. We traded cultural roots with curiosity and care. Our differences became bridges, not boundaries. With her, I began to feel less like I was passing through and more like I was part of the fabric of this campus.
We’d talk in passing about life and somehow, even in those brief moments, I’d walk away feeling a little more grounded. She carries wisdom the way flowers carry fragrance: naturally, generously, without expectation. Her calm presence and silent strength taught me the value of showing up consistently with kindness.
How far can a fragrance travel, you might ask? Continents, apparently. Years have passed, and yet the lessons she offered remain with me. Even from across the world, Susan continues to check in and I send her updates from Cambodia.
Today, working in a fast-paced and demanding environment, I often draw on Susan’s example, where I’m constantly reminded to lead with empathy and steadiness. Susan was a pivotal part of my college experience and continues to shape who I am as a coworker, a leader and a person.
There is something profoundly powerful about someone who simply radiates goodness. That is Susan. The campus is more beautiful not just in flowers and trees but in spirit, because of her.
Originally from Siem Reap, Cambodia, Thida Kim ’21 now lives in Phnom Penh and serves as chief of staff at Baramey Production, Cambodia’s leading music label.