Honors College students at East Texas A&M University will soon be trading desks for garden beds as they take on the management of a community garden in Commerce.

The project is spearheaded by Britnie Moka, an avid gardener and administrative associate in the Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies at ETAMU. Moka received a $5,000 Challenge Grant from the Honors College to create an educational cohort dedicated to maintaining, growing and promoting Goshen Gardens, a 1/2-acre community garden located just north of downtown Commerce. She is leading the effort alongside ETAMU's Dr. Leslie Ekpe.

The Honors College established the Challenge Grant program to support university faculty and staff in creating or enhancing innovative learning opportunities for East Texas A&M students. The community garden project is slated to get underway during the Fall 2026 semester.

Goshen Gardens was established in 2025 by the City of Commerce and placed on city-owned property located near the Commerce Farmer's Market pavilion. The garden is managed by a volunteer board of residents. A variety of vegetables, flowers and greenery are currently growing, and the garden hosts several community engagement events, such as a “Mulch & Mingle” event on June 6. Moka serves as the founding project director of the Goshen Gardens.

In Moka's vision, the project is much more than students planting flowers or pulling weeds.

“We already had agricultural students coming by and helping with the garden, but in this project, we can include students majoring in business disciplines creating budgets and art students creating promotional materials to spread awareness,” Moka said. “There are a lot of opportunities for experiential learning aside from gardening work.”

Moka said the cohort will consist of eight to ten Honors College students and will be finalized closer to the start of the fall semester.

Dr. Erin Webster Garrett, dean of the Honors College and associate vice provost for transformative learning, couldn't be more pleased with the vision for this project.

“Since I arrived at ETAMU, one of my goals has been to support mutually beneficial partnerships with the Commerce community. The Goshen Gardens project is a great example of this,” Webster Garrett said. “I implemented the Challenge Grants to create opportunities for students to see themselves not simply as individuals who study complex issues, but who are part of creating solutions in partnership with the communities where they work, learn and live.”

She continued: “My hope is that this project grows beyond the initial Honors cohort and becomes a sustainable partnership between the university and the City of Commerce—one that continues to engage students, strengthen the community, and demonstrate the power of learning through service and collaboration.”

Learn more about East Texas A&M's Honors College.