Christina Macias, a Fresno State professor and faculty member, has been in love with the sciences her entire life. In 2016, she proposed a garden program to her adviser while she was in her master’s program.

Together, they co-founded the SECREd Garden demonstration program, which led her to earn the dean’s medal when she graduated in 2018.

The SECREd Garden is an organization at Fresno State that aims to support early learning experiences, interdisciplinary research and community building through the use of outdoor learning spaces.

“Our goal is to center students and community experiences in the garden, facilitating and promoting food security,” Macias said. “We also aim to provide a space for members of all community groups on campus to celebrate their unique cultural and indigenous practices with the land.”

On April 22, Macias held an Earth Day planting event at the Turtle Pond, where students and community members were invited to help restore the pond by planting and cleaning up the space.

The Turtle Pond Project is a space where the children of the Huggins Center can learn and interact with nature.

“Christina has plans to have ways in which that cultural knowledge is retaught not just to the community, but to our own students,” said Randy Yerrick, the dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development.

Due to the weather and extreme rain the past few months, the space has become neglected.

Macias earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and ecology and her master’s in early childhood education, both from Fresno State.

She has been teaching at Fresno State since she graduated, also leading the SECREd Garden project.

Macias works as adjunct faculty in the multiple subject credential program and also in the Child and Family Science Department. She is also the professor for the Rural Teacher Residency Program.

The SECREd Garden project has been in the works for five years, building the necessary funds to bring the project to life and maintain the space. The project will go out for bid soon, and the visions for construction will begin.

“SECREd Garden will be a .25 acre demonstration garden space located near the Kremen School of Education and Human Development, where interested individuals and groups can work together to grow food and plants,” Macias said.

While the SECREd Garden is not ready yet, Macias has been working with a 20-member advisory board and a student leadership committee led by Arashnoor Gil, a current master’s student, to continue different projects.

Their current project sponsored by the SECREd Garden is the Turtle Pond Project which is located outside of the Huggins Center.

Jacob Hurst, a plant lecturer at Fresno State, created the revegetation for the Turtle Pond and plans to revitalize the area.

“Working with Christina has been an amazing experience because she has not only a passion for this garden and STEM education, but also for persisting and pursuing her goals. She’s manifesting these dreams she has that are going to benefit the community,” Hurst said.

Macias said the best part of her job is working with Fresno State students. She has a deep interest in the work it takes to develop a personal, academic and professional identity.

“It’s an exceptional privilege to observe that journey both in the classroom and in my SECREd garden work. Students inspire me to remain informed, creative and passionate,” she said.

The most inspiring part of the project for Macias is sharing the space with all the different community members who share an interest in the work. The stories she has learned from those around her allow her to continue to honor the work that has been done for several years.

“My dream is to cultivate SECREd Garden in a way that continues to honor those lives, stories, and land practices. I hope to be an informed and intentional steward of the land and the work,” she said.