San José State students gathered at the Campus Community Garden on Wednesday to celebrate the fall season with food, activities and community spirit. 

The Harvest Festival included fresh produce, activity booths and a scavenger hunt to help attendees learn about sustainability efforts.

Ruby Howard, SJSU’s Campus Community Garden coordinator, spoke about the garden’s first event of the semester.

“We are raising awareness about the garden and our opportunities, (while) also showcasing our products that have been growing all summer,” Howard said.

Located on E. San Salvador Street across from the SJSU Dining Commons, the student-led initiative aims to provide students access to healthy foods and sustainable garden practices, according to the garden’s webpage.

The student-driven garden has spent the summer growing many vegetables and fruits – tomatoes, grapes, strawberries and eggplants – all shown on the garden’s Instagram page.   

“Normally we give away a lot of produce during this time but we are under quarantine, because parts of Santa Clara County have an invasive fruit fly,” Howard said. 

The California Department of Food and Agriculture found three Mediterranean fruit flies in residential neighborhoods of San José, according to an Aug. 28 report on the Santa Clara County Division of Agriculture webpage.

The event was able to work around this issue by showcasing a live cooking demo with free food samples.

Through partnerships with the Wellness & Health Inspired Student Kitchen at SJSU and Spartan Eats, the demonstration highlighted fresh ingredients and ways to use them.

 Ruben Angel Velazquez, Wellness & Health Inspired Student Kitchen program volunteer, supports the program’s efforts to educate students about fresh ingredients.  

“Using the veggies from the garden (and the pantry), they (students) could make different recipes,” Velazquez said. 

The program serves to promote healthy food behaviors while also establishing a healthy relationship with food, according to an SJSU website.

Beyond nutrition, it offers students a sense of community especially those who are navigating college life.

 Vianey Aguirre, an SJSU fourth-year political science student, feels that on a personal level.

“I’ve made it my mission this semester to go to as many events as I can and I’ve already met quite a few people,” Aguirre said.
She said she felt isolated, but attending these events have helped her feel less left out. 

Qualitative data from students emphasized the value in having access to services and programs, according to a 2024 research study from the American Journal of Health Education 

 about college student loneliness.

“I think they (the events) are really great to build community … it’s been pretty cool to meet people,” Aguirre said.

For most students, staying connected means keeping up with event announcements.

Mathu Natarajan, a SJSU civil engineering graduate student, relies on social media to stay updated each time an event is hosted.

“I kinda have been following them for a long time, I’ve been to other events – some painting (events) and stuff similar to that,” Natarajan said.

Associated Students have managed to give students a variety of events to further help with student engagement like the upcoming Uno Tournament, according to an A.S. Sept. 2 Instagram post.

“It’s really fun for me, I look forward to it all year just because I like to see everyone enjoy (it),” Howard said, “it’s just fun to see everyone.”