Rooted in Rhythm: How the CSU Seed to Bloom Botanical Garden Helped Kamille Austin Find Her Voice

When Kamille Austin, a saxophonist from Cincinnati and music education graduate (2025) of Central State University, first wandered into the Seed to Bloom Botanical and Community Garden in spring 2022, she wasn’t searching for transformation. She was looking for a quiet place to practice her music. 

The Garden sits at the corner of state Route 42 East at Wilberforce-Switch Road on the Wilberforce, Ohio, campus. 

“I always rode past this garden, but I never went inside,” Kamille recalled. “So I decided to come in here and start practicing the saxophone with my friend.” 

The decision sparked an unexpected journey of growth — both musical and personal.

It was on a fairly humid July evening when Kamille gave her last performance — at least for now — at the Garden, just a couple of weeks before heading to Belmont University in Nashville to pursue a master’s degree in commercial music composition and arranging. 

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“It was very vibrant and colorful, and it felt like home. Just adding nature to my practice experience made me feel very whole.”  

"It was very vibrant and colorful, and it felt like home. Just adding nature to my practice experience made me feel very whole," Kamille recalled of the days she practiced at the Garden over the years.

“I first met Kamille and another band member practicing at the Garden when I arrived to set up for a Saturday morning program,” recalled Clare Thorn, CSU Extension associate for Agricultural and Natural Resources. “As I engaged in conversation with Kamille, I shared more information about the development of the Garden, and I welcomed the fact that she and her friend chose the Garden to practice.” 

Finding Confidence in Nature

For Kamille, the Garden quickly became more than a practice space. It was a sanctuary where her music intertwined with the rustle of leaves and birdsong. “I had the wrong mindset with music before I started playing here,” she admitted. “But the Garden helped me discover myself and find my purpose. My confidence grew tremendously.” 

Performances like Jazz in the Garden and cultural programs for youth gave Kamille the chance to share her talents in a relaxed and supportive setting. “Everyone was just so relaxed,” she remembered. “It felt like we were giving people a gift.” 

Thorn offered Kamille and her friends the opportunity to be student workers in the Garden. “Kamille readily stepped up with incorporating her musical talents with programs at the Botanical Garden, from our Winter Illumination program, Land-Grant Open House, solo performances and summer youth programs,” Thorn said.  “She was a leader to other ANR student workers in coordinating the performances and musical selections.” 

Memorable Moments 

Among Kamille’s favorite memories is leading a cultural dance program for visiting participants in a 4-H Youth Development program, teaching them about the traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a vibrant outdoor classroom. Another highlight came with the solar eclipse, when the Garden filled with people from campus and the surrounding community. Kamille, under the guidance of Thorn and with fellow students Corey Higgs and Mariah Simmons, also researched nearly two dozen African heritage crops planted in the Garden and around CSU’s Wilberforce campus to test their growth sustainability and viability as marketable crops in the Midwest. 

The Garden always provided a place of quiet reflection for Kamille. She often brought her keyboard and headphones to play alone: “I came here to relax and meditate. It was just me, the music, and the wind.” 

Sharing with Family & Inspiring Others 

The Garden’s impact extended to her family. Kamille often took home harvests from the Garden to her mother. “She’s always excited when I come home with cucumbers or spinach,” Kamille said. “I’d tell her that I perform here, and I work with amazing people. It’s beautiful -- if you ever visit me, you just have to see it.” 

For younger CSU students, Kamille offers advice rooted in her own discovery: “You don’t have to be looking at social media. You can just come to a garden and enjoy its presence.” 

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Looking Ahead 

Inspired by her time in the CSU Garden, she plans to become a licensed music therapist. “I could tell I was lifting people’s spirits when I performed here,” she said. “That inspired me to pursue music therapy.” 

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Kamille glowed with both pride and passion on that July evening as she performed one more time in the Garden for her regular audience, which later grew in number when they were joined by a group of teenage boys spending time on campus for a residence summer camp. 

Though she was moving on, she promised she’ll never forget her time in the Garden. “Even when I move to Nashville, I’ll always come back to this little garden.” 

“Even when I move to Nashville, I’ll always come back to this little garden.” 

Thorn said she hopes there are more students like Kamille at CSU now and in the future. ”I feel the students can find her lead and know they will be able to share their talent at the Garden while they attend CSU,” she added.