Xander Garcia
Previous Degrees Obtained
B.S in Business Administration and Marketing from California State University, Long beach. MBA in Sustainability Leadership from Prescott College. PhD in Sustainability Education from Prescott College (currently)
Research Topic
I am uncovering how decolonization and postcolonial theory may inform the practices and understandings within community gardens. I am exploring what it means to be “decolonized” in the community garden, and evaluating examples from across the country of “decolonized” gardens. I am uncovering the roots of knowledge that set the foundations for various gardens practices and understandings throughout Orange County, California to inform me of next steps for future research.
My research is led by my passion for gardens, entangled with my desire to see wider community engagement across all ages to encourage education, collaboration, and compassion for others. I have a history of nurturing the land through gardening and plant care with my grandmothers at their homes, and at my own home, but from a young age I wondered why there were little to no spaces dedicated to the community being able to do the same thing I have been privileged to do my whole life. Through this research I aim to understand what larger issues may be behind the lack of community gardens so I can guide future research to increase community engagement in these spaces that have the ability to transform a space for the better. I am working on a four article dissertation to capture the full image of my research. This entails an in depth literature review as one article, an analysis of community gardens country-wide to better inform my understanding of what it means to be decolonized in the community garden for a second article, and two articles dedicated to community gardens, one from the perspective of members of a specific garden, and the second dedicated to managers or board member’s of various community gardens throughout Orange County. I love this research because it connects me to my passions and grounds me to my own purpose for being alive. I want to contribute to humans and more-than-humans well-being, and being able to take this research to guide personal endeavors for my community makes my soul smile.
Q&A
I am a former student for the MBA program, and was drawn to Prescotts’ mission, values, and dedication to it’s students success.
My research takes a postcolonial and decolonization lens to research community gardens and how they can be used to benefit local communities.
I love the passion and sense of pride that the professors carry for themselves and their students.
The biggest challenge in the PhD program was myself for a while. I was burdened with a heavy sense of imposter syndrome for a while, but as I began to form my “why” for my research, I started to feel confident in my abilities to succeed. I am motivated by knowing I can contribute positivity to my community and the earth, so by tying that to my dissertation I was able to take a step forward toward my larger goals.
When I started the PhD program, I was a Business Analyst with CGI Technologies and Solutions. In that position, I had client work where I developed training documents and trained the client on the system that we were implementing for them. Additionally, I coordinated our corporate events for the Los Angeles Metro team, hosted monthly member meetings as a leader in three member resource groups, coordinated and presented programming where I informed CGI members of the United States about the benefits offered to us, and collaborated with the DEI team on their monthly newsletters. Unfortunately, I was part of a layoff, but I recently began supporting Prescott’s Writing and Tutoring Center as a tutor, hoping to contribute to the success of all students.
Outside of school, I am an avid gardener, and runner training for a marathon in 2025. Additionally, I have combined my knowledge from previous degrees and jobs to form a garden related side hustle. I have been speaking with the community gardens in Orange County to figure out how to increase engagement and knowledge of the gardens to more residents. This involves collaborating on marketing for them, and developing classes and workshops for people of all ages to learn about the many facets of gardening and how it benefits people and the planet. Additionally, my gardening side hustle has partnered with some neighbors to design and support the development of home gardens for them to begin growing their own food.
My advice is to follow your heart and believe in the part of you that considered joining Prescott’s PhD program. And, if you ever feel doubt, remember that there are a fabulous group of staff and peers who have felt similarly and will have no issue speaking with you to validate your feelings while uplifting your passions and incredible mind.