Rooted in Community: The Department of Anthropology Joins Bayside Community Center to Grow Knowledge, Community and Shared Stories

Sofia and her mom, Diana, talked quietly on the balcony of their new apartment, looking over Linda Vista Park. “In that little part of the park right there, I wonder why there’s so much trash?” said seven-year-old Sofia. It was their first morning in the apartment, and the family had struggled for years to get themselves settled in the neighborhood. “Mom,” Sofia said, “Do you know what would be a great idea? What if we made a community garden right there?”

Little did Sofia and Diana know that within a few years, Bayside Community Center, led by Executive Director Kim Heinle ’11 (MA in international relations) and Associate Director of the Bayside Environmental Learning Center Amy Zink, would coordinate a community process to create a garden there. Alongside the San Diego Parks Foundation and countless community partners, residents, donors, elected officials, volunteers and the Linda Vista Grows Steering Committee, Bayside pulled together a team to transform the disused corner of the park into the exact dream that Sofia envisioned. 

The Linda Vista Community Garden became the first garden built into an existing San Diego city park. The mayor attended the opening, community foundations provided financial support and Local 619 Carpenters Union members volunteered their skills to build garden beds. The garden became a focal point for a community of new and experienced gardeners vitalizing their neighborhood.

“Community members are at the core of who Bayside is and what makes this Linda Vista community so vibrant,” Heinle says. “We strive to make sure their voice and well-being are at the forefront of any project, just like the one we did last fall with Dr. Syring.”

— David Syring

Read the full article on page 3 of Arts & Sciences magazine (Fall 2025 issue).

The USD College of Arts and Sciences released its third annual Arts & Sciences magazine this fall. In the pages of this magazine, you will explore the impact of the liberal arts, discover current faculty research, and be inspired by student, faculty and alumni spotlights.