By Julene Reese ’85 | Photos by Levi Sim

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Though Teagen Lint didn’t grow up on a farm and wasn’t a “country kid,” her family was deeply connected to agriculture. From them, she learned important life lessons: push through challenges, don’t make excuses, value memories and experiences over material things, and look to nature for answers.

Lint grew up in Tooele where her father worked for a trucking company and “cowboyed and rodeoed.” She has fond memories of long drives with him, looking for wild horses, and listening to old country music. Her mother’s love for the outdoors instilled in her a deep appreciation for nature, hunting, fishing, and camping.

In high school, Lint joined the FFA, which set her on a path toward agriculture in both education and career. Upon graduation, she visited the Utah State University Tooele Campus and fell in love with it, enrolling in agricultural business as a first-generation college student.

Lint says a world of opportunities opened there. She became a classroom facilitator and assisted in the main office, building relationships with staff and faculty. She also learned about a pilot program for USU Tooele Campus Ambassadors.

“I completed the application and interviewed for the program,” she recalls. “Then I took a break and went on a family trip. I was floating down a river when I got a call from Admissions saying I had been chosen as an Ambassador and would receive a scholarship. I almost fell in the water.”

In this role, Lint promotes and recruits for USU by networking in local high schools and at community events.

“I have loved building those connections with people and helping strengthen the student community here,” she says.

Adding to her busy student life, in the spring of 2024, Lint saw a posting at the Tooele County Extension office that piqued her interest.

“There wasn’t a lot of information about it, so I looked up the office and stopped by,” she remembers. “The 4-H coordinator, Robyn Handley, was the only one there. We had a long conversation that, little did I know, would change my life. Linden Greenhalgh, the Extension professor and county director, called me later and offered me the job. I said, ‘You don’t need to interview me?’ He said, ‘If Robyn believes in you, I believe in you.”

Grateful for this trust, Lint was excited but also overwhelmed. Her first assignment was to help with the Larry Sagers Memorial Garden, named in honor of the well-loved USU Extension professor and his 31-year career in horticulture.

Greenhalgh wanted to revitalize the garden to showcase beautiful, water-wise native plants in an urban landscape. His vision included updating the drip irrigation system, changing out perennial plants, and adding more water-efficient turf species, including Tahoma 31, a new Bermuda grass.

“I had taken one landscape design class my freshman year, and I hated it,” Lint laughs. “But I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it,’ and I went to work. Linden gave me access to his many books, and I talked with everyone I could. I visited the Conservation Garden Park, made plant lists, took photos, and started sketching my ideas.”

During that time, Greenhalgh was often out of town for meetings, and Lint was anxious about starting on her own.

“It helped knowing he had the confidence to give me such a project,” she says. “A bristlecone pine in honor of Larry was the focal point of the garden, then we used Bermuda grass and other wonderful plants around it. We weren’t finished when the season ended, so I came back the next spring.”

The team had to rework some of the plots by adding rocks and other materials, and they planted roughly 1,000 tulip bulbs.

“That project was so daunting in the beginning, but I’m really proud, and I can’t wait to see it in bloom next spring,” she says. “Plants and soils are my happy place.”

Taking on challenges is not new for Lint. As a child, she faced severe allergies — including to her family’s horses, which they ended up selling. It was a loss, since it meant being limited by her health and missing riding experiences with her dad. But that motivated her to not let barriers keep her from living the life she wants. Now, even while managing severe allergies, chronic sinusitis that required surgery, and asthma, she receives regular shots and treatments and pushes through to make the most of life.

“That’s just what you have to do if you want the experiences,” she says.

Greenhalgh praised Lint’s work and said she has shown professionalism, creativity, and dedication to the demonstration gardens and community outreach.

“Teagen embodies the values of resilience, hard work, integrity, service, and passion,” he says. “I have given her a lot of responsibility and freedom because she has proven her dependability. She has done a remarkable job, and our garden is getting a lot of attention.”

Lint believes her sincere interest in the garden allowed Greenhalgh to trust her.

“But when I originally told him I liked flowers, I meant, I love a bouquet,” she laughs.

In addition to Lint’s work with Extension and the Tooele Campus, she is an undergraduate researcher with the Biology Department, working under Biology professor Joe Wilson.

“I juggle research meetings, campus Ambassador duties, and Extension work, but they really complement one another,” she says. “And now that Extension and Statewide Campuses are combined, I know people in both organizations, and it’s been fun to help bridge those relationships. It’s been crazy busy, but it’s taught me to prioritize, organize, and do things that are out of my comfort zone.”

Lint credits much to her parents for teaching her to think about ways to help others, to learn from experiences, and to look for ways to make a difference in the world. Though they’re divorced, she says they have been phenomenal co-parents.

“I also credit my grandfather,” she says. “He was my best friend growing up and a huge support. He is a key player in my passion for horticulture.”

Lint recently graduated from USU Tooele in December with a degree in integrated studies and an emphasis in agriculture and natural resources. Going forward, she hopes to do Extension work somewhere in the West.

“I love Extension, and I’ve enjoyed being that connection to people and the land,” she says. “It provides a great way to cultivate community, whether it’s with flowers or people.”