Andrew McGowan '25 recalls trailing his mother through garden centers in Highland, Utah as a child, selecting flowers and vegetables to plant in their summer garden. Growing up in a household of eight children, sustainable practices like gardening and composting weren't just hobbies — they were a way of life. 

When McGowan and his family relocated to a small townhouse in Sacramento so he could attend the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, the plan was to put gardening on pause. 

"Part of the rationale was that I was going to need to be focusing on law school, so it was probably best that I didn't have a garden to putter around in," he said.

But when he discovered the Sacramento Campus Community Garden, everything changed. 

"This is my moment," he joked. "I saw the garden, and I saw a really good resource. I wanted to bring energy to it." So he dug in, literally.

McGowan began volunteering in the garden, and it wasn't long before his enthusiasm drew attention. He was tapped to lead the Student Bar Association's Sustainability Committee, and what started as a personal outlet bloomed into a campus-wide movement. McGowan expanded the committee from three members to 12, rallied volunteers and secured new funding. The group launched bike repair clinics, group bike rides and a wildly popular series of plant yard sales, raising thousands of dollars for student organizations on campus. Using compost from the garden, they propagated and sold succulents, calendula, salvia, herbs and Goji plants.

In May, that energy culminated with a mural project in the campus garden — a collaborative effort that brought together students and staff from both McGeorge School of Law and the School of Health Sciences. Over the course of four days, campus volunteers gathered to paint using supplies generously donated by student organizations. The design came from a particularly meaningful source: McGowan's wife, Shallen, who is a gifted artist.

"It was like a crescendo for me," McGowan said, "because it was kind of a testament to what I wanted from the very outset — a space that was inviting, energetic, where people came together."

Now working in a career in construction and real estate litigation at Porter Scott, McGowan continues to stay involved with the garden as an alumnus.

"Modern life is overly cerebral. The garden and sustainability in general are great ways to connect with the real world. I just formed these connections and friendships that I otherwise would not have done," he said. "And at the end of the day, you get vegetables and plants and flowers. All good things."