Alumni & Instructors
Master Florists, Past and Present
FlowerSchool strives to immerse aspiring florists into the New York floral industry. With 20 years of experience, FlowerSchool has a strong network of top-players who are at the top of their game. Below is a list of some of our faves!
The Depth and Diversity of our instructors and alumni is one of our biggest strengths!
Notable Alumni

Michael Giannelli
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East Hampton Gardens
“We saw a huge opportunity to create a unique shopping environment unlike anything in the Hamptons which specifically relates to the garden, outdoor living and entertaining.” - Michael Giannelli, KD Hamptons Magazine, by Kelli Delaney

Summer Robbins
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Summer Robbins Flowers
Nestled in the rugged countryside of Bend, Oregon, Summer Robbins Flowers is a bespoke floral design studio that creates thoughtfully designed floral arrangements for weddings and events. Summer has been featured as Oregon Wedding Day Magazine Best Florist Outside Portland 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and editors choice award 2023 & 2024.

Brittany Murray
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The Flowerslinger
Brittany is an NYC trained florist who has worked for some of the top design studios in New York. She was recently named one of Florists’ Review 35 under 35 “rising stars in the flower industry”.

Marianna Coppola
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Creations by Coppola
Marianna's passion is in crafting love stories through flowers. Her work is inspired by nostalgic memories of her seaside hometown of Monte Di Procida, Italy, which is known for its jagged cliffs, dramatic vistas, and lemon tree orchards. It is this touch of Mediterranean charm that sets Marianna apart in her Philadelphia studio.

Urban Poppy is Savannah’s very own full service bridal boutique dedicated to providing the most beautiful floral arrangements and creative decor for your nuptials.
Notable Past & Present Instructors

Calvert Crary
Author, Lead Instructor & Executive Director of FlowerSchool
After a decade as a professional photographer Calvert ('Cal') made the transition to a floral entrepreneur in 2006. 18 years later, Cal has published 2 books, and made a prestigious name for himself as an educator and expert of the floral industry.

Juan M. Villanueva
Floral Instructor
Juan M. Villanueva, owner of Villanueva Designs, is a second-generation florist from South Texas who for the past 10 years has successfully served Manhattan and its surrounding areas with his stunning installations. We call him FlowerSchools best kept secret!

Meredith Waga-Perez
Internship Affiliate & Wedding Design Instructor
The owner of Belle Fleur New York, Meredith is the premier leader in haute couture floral and event design. Her luxurious events have been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and New York Times.

Claudia Hanlin
Event Design Instructor
Claudia Hanlin revolutionized the way couples find and hire wedding vendors in the New York Market when she founded Wedding Library in 2000. Featured in Bride's Best and Martha Stewart's Best, Claudia created a "one stop shop" with all of a betrothed's needs. Including wedding dresses, invitations, and more, Wedding Library is the largest wedding planning business in NYC that all exists under one roof.

Victoria Ahn
Internship Affiliate & Master Class Floral Instructor
With a background as a professionally trained ballerina, Designs by Ahn is a top-tier floral and event design company which choreographs colors and textures to tell a beautiful story. We often send Floral Design Program students to Designs By Ahn for exceptional internship experience.

Lewis Miller
Master Class Instructor
Born and raised in California farm country, Lewis Miller developed a respect for nature early on. After seven years of successfully pursuing his interests in design, flowers and event planning, Lewis moved to New York in 2000 where he worked for one of the city’s top floral boutiques. In March of 2002, Lewis’ vision of a country life in a metropolitan setting inspired him to create LMD New York, Lewis Miller Design.

LaParis Phillips
Internship Affiliate & Master Class Instructor
LaParis Phillips draws inspiration from fashion, nature and art while using flowers as the medium. Brooklyn Blooms believe that everyone is an individual and deserves to have florals tailored just for them, even down to the vessel. By using curated seasonal blooms in interesting found vases, Brooklyn Blooms creates “beautiful things out of beautiful things” with you in mind. Brooklyn Blooms is a tried-and-true internship choice.

Oscar Mora
Master Class Instructor
Celebrity Floral Designer Oscar Mora, of Oscar Mora Floral Art & Design, is most noted for his stylish integration of modern and classical design, which have been hailed as “exquisite” by top fashion designers such as Valentino and L’Wren Scott. Many celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Karl Lagerfeld, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, and Marc Jacobs have received his customized floral creations.

Ingrid Carozzi
Master Class Instructor
Ingrid Carozzi is one of New York’s most sought-after florists and the owner of the acclaimed Tin Can Studios in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Ingrid has been covered in publications such as Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, Design*Sponge, The Knot, and more.

Christian Tortu
Master Class Instructor
Christian Tortu was the Creative Director of Flowers at Takashimaya in New York City and largely considered to be the leading seller of flowers in New York City. He currently has three signature flower shops in Japan. Christian has designed flowers for many of the couture houses in Paris as well as weddings of royalty.

Atsushi Taniguchi
Master Class Instructor
In 2000, Atsushi opened his iconic flower shop “jardin du I’llony” in Kobe. By 2002, he opened his second shop “florist jardin du I’llony” in Ashiya, working with luxury brands like Cartier and Hermes. In 2009, he expanded his vision producing FLOWBULOUS, a floral inspired magazine, and opened his 3rd and most recent shop in Paris in 2015.

Kiana Underwood
Master Class Instructor
Kiana Underwood is the owner of Tulipina, an internationally renowned floral design studio that specializes in creating bespoke experiences for luxury weddings and events. Kiana’s work can be seen in Vogue, The New York Times, Brides, Elle Décor, Town and Country, and many more.

Remco Van Vliet
Master Class Instructor
Along with being the decorator for in-house events, Van Vliet and Trap creates the stunning colossal urn arrangements and the bouquets in the Great Hall at The Metropolitan Museum of Art which Remco personally designs every week.

Matthew Robbins
Master Class Instructor
Matthew Robbins runs the New York–based events design and planning firm Matthew Robbins Design with his partner Luis Otoya. Matthew has been a contributing editor for Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine for over 15 years, as well as contributing to InStyle, New York Weddings, Food and Wine Magazine, and Martha Stewart Living, Huffington Post, Style Me Pretty, and more.

Angel Salazar Designs
Internship Affiliate
Angel Salazar Design creates bespoke custom florals for luxury spaces. Working with an ever-growing list of premium brands like Vanity Fair, Armani, Gucci, and many more, ASD proudly provides clients with unforgettable, exquisite floral experiences. FlowerSchool often sends Floral Design Program students to ASD for internships!