Two groups of LMU students spent one of their first weekends of the fall semester serving in the Los Angeles community alongside the Pam Rector Center for Service and Action (CSA) for ServeLA. Each year during this annual day of service, students get to spend the first couple of hours on Saturday at various community partner placements. This year was no different, and students had the chance to visit one of two of CSA’s community partners: The People Concern near Santa Monica and The Learning Garden in Venice.
The People Concern stands as one of L.A. County’s largest and most trusted social services agencies. Born from the powerful union of OPCC and Lamp Community in 2016, our organization carries forward more than sixty years of unwavering commitment to uplifting lives. We are a beacon of hope and a force for change, leading the way with evidence-based solutions to the complex realities of homelessness and domestic violence. Every day, we advocate fiercely and serve boldly, empowering individuals to reclaim their dignity and build brighter futures.
The Learning Garden has blossomed into one of the nation’s largest and most impactful school gardens, a living testament to the power of nature, education, and community. More than just a garden, it is a sanctuary of learning, healing, and connection. For students, it’s a gateway to the natural world, a place where curiosity blooms, respect for the environment takes root, and the joy of nurturing life becomes a lesson that lasts forever. For teachers, it’s both a classroom and a refuge, a space where education comes alive and where moments of peace offer renewal. For the community, it’s a vibrant tapestry of color and calm, a source of pride and beauty that reflects the care and dedication of countless volunteers. And for all who enter, whether for a single visit or a lifelong commitment, The Learning Garden is a place that stirs the soul, ignites inspiration, and reminds us of the profound impact that a shared vision can have when it’s cultivated with love.
Several students from all years at LMU came out to join CSA in serving at both locations. Zachariah Michelena ’28, a member of the Student Affairs Student Advisory board and a double major in political science and classics and archaeology from Sacramento, joined ServeLA at The Learning Garden to get more involved on campus and after hearing about service opportunities from members of the Service Organization community. “I was surprised to learn that The Learning Garden has been a space in Venice since the 1930s and was amazed to see how it’s still here and making an impact in the community,” said Michelena. “It shows one way in which community advocacy can help a space and is in turn helping to educate students in an area where there may not be as many opportunities to learn about plants and gardening.”
ServeLA 2025, marked a special moment for Senior Vice President Kawanna Leggett, Ed.D. and LMU student E. Carter ‘26, a political science major from Denver who works in the CSA office focusing on the Food Pantry, as they celebrated their fourth year of serving at ServeLA together. “Back home I was always really involved in service, I met some of the CSA staff who invited me to come to ServeLA during my first-year at LMU,” said Carter “Going to ServeLA I had the opportunity to meet many of the other professional staff members from CSA and it helped me get more involved with the work in CSA. And it’s been a space where I can be myself. The community that’s created inside CSA is one of my favorite parts of working in the office and how we all get to do something that is meaningful together.”
“As I enter my fourth year at LMU, I am grateful to have participated in ServeLA every year,” said Leggett. “It has truly become one of my favorite traditions, bringing our community together at the very start of the year and inviting students into LMU’s culture of service in L.A. I’ll never forget meeting E. Carter at my very first ServeLA in 2022 at ALMA Backyard Farms, he’s come back each year, become deeply involved in service organizations, and now works in CSA. His journey is just one example of how ServeLA helps spark a lasting commitment to service and justice at LMU.”
For many students the day of service allowed them to give back to the community that surrounds LMU and it was important to give back to the community in a group, two registered student organizations joined ServeLA as a team: The Brothers of Consciousness (BOC) joined the group at The People Concern, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Tau Delta Chapter, joined the group at The Learning Garden.
For Brothers of Consciousness member Brandon Davison ’28, a civil engineering major from Atlanta, the ServeLA experience was inspiring. “Seeing the work being done Saturday was inspiring,” said Davison. “What we did together was awesome, and it’s surprising how fun it is to do good. I joined this event because I enjoy helping others and seeing how small actions can make a difference. For me personally, serving others is about contributing wherever you can and supporting the people around you.”
Dominic Robinson ’27, an electrical engineering major from L.A. and member of BOC, wanted to serve in the community because of how important it is. “God has been so good to me and He has always provided for my family and me in times of need, so whenever God gives me the opportunity to bless someone else like he has blessed me, I want to jump at the opportunity no matter how small,” said Robinson. “During our time at The People Concern, I had the opportunity to help prepare lunches. While we were doing that the other volunteers and I got to talk and get to know a little bit about each other, just showing that service can be both meaningful and fun.”
Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Tau Delta Chapter taking part included, Allegra Coleman ’26, a journalism major from Chicago, Sariyah Shabazz ’25, a graduate student in the master’s in entertainment leadership program from the San Francisco Bay Area, Naomi Machyo ’27, a finance and accounting double major from Seattle, and Jordan Harvey ’26, a mechanical engineering major from Inglewood. As a group, the members all agreed they were looking for a way to serve the community together and attending ServeLA at The Learning Garden offered a different type of service than the sorority members typically have participated in and the opportunity to connect with nature and garden. Machyo described the experience as connecting, “You get to connect with nature, people, my sisters, and I got to connect with myself in a different space where you get to be here and just exist in the moment.” Others in the group described the experience by describing it as “peaceful,” “grounding,” and “thought-provoking.” Harvey noted that there is also a unique opportunity at The Learning Garden, “where you can pick the spot you want to work in and really work on an area of the space that you are most passionate about and embed that into what you do.”
Coleman and Shabazz both work in the CSA office and were first introduced to service on LMU’s campus through the Alternative Breaks program, participating in Guatemala, El Salvador, and South Africa immersions. Shabazz shared how surprising it was how big The Learning Garden actually is. “Seeing it from the outside and the gate, you don’t realize how big this place actually is and how much space there actually is.” For Coleman, it was really meaningful to work on a specific space that The Learning Garden will be cleaning up and turning into a meditation space with a bench for people to relax in. “It’s so beautiful and spaces like this, especially in Los Angeles, need to be cherished.”