Growing up, Sereen Elkhalid would spend her evenings with her mother walking through their suburban neighborhood, pointing out different plants and asking for an explanation.

Elkhalid’s mother, who took some plant identification courses in college, would explain what each plant was and what it was for. Her love of nature didn’t stop there. Back at home, Elkhalid, the youngest of five kids, helped her father in the garden. An Arab American, she especially liked the heritage plants he’d use.

“I guess it has always been a part of my upbringing, that connection to the land,” Elkhalid said, reflecting back.

“I remember being in the first grade, and they wanted us to write one of our interests on an index card. I wanted to write down science, and I couldn’t spell it and got so frustrated. I always remember that because I’ve always loved science. I’ve always loved nature.”

Almost two decades later, Elkhalid has found a way to blend those passions together at Oklahoma State University. A senior majoring in environmental science, plant biology and biology, she’s quick to point out all the little corners of campus she loves to visit for a quick study break or to reconnect with nature.

Her favorite? OSU’s Native Plant Corridor, which stretches from Hester Street west to Monroe Street, and includes multiple gardens of plants native to Oklahoma. As a member of OSU’s Environmental Science Club, Elkhalid wanted to somehow make an impact like that on campus. Then, she got an idea.

Powered by a Green Student Initiative Grant, Elkhalid wanted to create a garden to represent Indigenous people in the state. In a project spanning more than a year and involving five different campus groups, the Heritage Garden, the newest addition to the Native Plant Corridor located on the north side of Life Sciences East, was unveiled on Oct. 12, with a group planting event to mark the opening.

“Plants and nature are the same as how human societies work,” Elkhalid said. “There are different people doing different jobs, having different sets of knowledge, and we all come together to create community. Plants are the same way.”

Building from the ground up

Elkhalid first brought the idea to the Native American Student Association (NASA) and the group’s president, Chenoa Turtle.

“We all thought it was a wonderful idea,” Turtle said.

With unanimous support from the group, the design process started.

The garden would be placed on the north side of the Life Sciences East on campus, an intentional choice because the Center for Sovereign Nations is housed in the building. NASA had already done some work on this plot of grass, planting two serviceberry trees and a hackberry tree there on Arbor Day two years ago.

The group was knowledgeable. Toby Martin had done work like this before. Martin, a 2026 natural resource ecology and management graduate and a member of the Native American Student Association, previously helped design smaller gardens.

An encyclopedia of plant knowledge, Martin can walk through the entire garden and point out each different aspect. The defining element in the Heritage Garden, a medicine wheel design that visitors can walk through, was selected as a unifying symbol among Indigenous people.

“Everyone’s tribal identity is specific to their individual tribe,” Martin explained. “I’m Osage, so my traditions are different from the Cherokee and the Choctaw. The medicine wheel is generally accepted in modern Indigenous cultures.”

Even with all the ideas, the group’s designs were nothing more than drawings on scratch paper. They needed help moving the project forward. Enter Nick Ouellette, landscaping design manager for OSU Landscaping Services.

Ouellette, a seasoned landscape designer, had already assisted on several projects throughout the Native Plant Corridor. When Elkhalid pitched the initial idea, he was very excited to help.

“She had what it takes to bring something together, and I didn’t want to lose that,” Ouellette said.

He assisted in designing the layout and, along with nearly 80 members of Landscaping Services, helped put the garden together over the past two weeks.

“It’s important to bring people together,” Ouellette said. “I think this garden does that.”

Cross-university collaboration

In total, five different organizations across campus assisted in this project. Elkhalid and the Environmental Science Club helped craft the idea. Partnering with NASA and Landscaping Services, and with assistance from the Office of Sustainability and Center for Sovereign Nations, a cross-campus partnership was formed.

They all shared the same goal: creating a legacy of environmental sustainability that embodies OSU’s land-grant mission.

“It’s been amazing collaborating with the Environmental Science Club,” Turtle said. “Having their knowledge and support and getting both our student members involved has been so wonderful.”

With the help of Ouellette, Elkhalid and Turtle applied for a Green Student Initiative Grant, an OSU program offering funding for student-led projects to improve campus sustainability and eco-friendliness.

“Sereen exemplifies the initiative and leadership we strive to foster in students within the Ferguson College of Agriculture,” said Dr. Karen Hickman, a professor of natural resource ecology and management and director of the environmental science program. “As an Environmental Science Club officer, she took her involvement beyond traditional student activities, collaborating with NASA and OSU Landscape Services and securing grant funding to help establish the Heritage Garden. Her efforts demonstrate how students can turn ideas into action while creating meaningful opportunities for cultural appreciation, education, and community engagement.”

For the next generation 

Neshoba Giger slowly runs his spade across the roots of the potted bush, opening it up before planting it in the hole he’d just dug. He’s deft in his work. He does work at the OSU Botanic Garden, after all, and has the sweat-stained hat to prove it.

“I’m grateful to have pretty good mentors in my life,” Giger said, wiping the dirt from his hands. “They taught me the importance of grounding yourself with the plants and acknowledging the life outside of yourself. I’ve taken that to heart.”

A senior at OSU about to earn a degree in horticulture, Giger’s heavily involved in gardening. He helped build the Native American Culture Garden at the Botanic Garden over the past two years and currently oversees it.

Cultivating these spaces isn’t a task he takes lightly.

“It’s easy to go through our day not thinking about these plants,” Giger said. “We’re caught up in our own world. I really want to say, just take a second and acknowledge these plants that do so much for us. Learn the gifts they have, because then you understand why it’s important to preserve them.”

Martin points to a sturdy oak tree in the middle of the garden, discussing how, years ago, someone planted it, and now it is enjoyed by many. He hopes the Heritage Garden will have the same impact.

“By being thoughtful with the plantings you do, not for immediate gratification, you’re providing for the future,” Martin said. “The author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, has a saying that abundance is reciprocal. Hopefully, by doing this, somewhere down the line, this generosity will be reciprocated to the wildlife and to people.”

As Elkhalid finished depositing her final plant into the soil, she looked across the garden. In her own words, it turned out better than she had hoped.

“Planting a garden is planting seeds of hope,” Elkhalid said.

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