VNutrition & Wellness’ Annual LGBTQ+ Vitality Scholarship

Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world,” a sentiment I consciously try to live by. In my attempt to make the world a more positive place, I’m pursuing a master’s degree in health and wellness. My goal is to help people achieve personal optimal well-being to live a full, happy, healthy life, especially those who are more vulnerable. When I was fresh in my undergraduate career, I was still an awkward gay kid who had no idea what to do with their life. In an attempt to figure it out, I tried different extracurricular activities and ended up volunteering at my college health clinic. I had my first therapy experience there, an event that positively changed my life and would inform my future education. From that impactful experience, I knew I wanted to work in the health and wellness field somehow. This led me to pursue yoga teacher training and offer free yoga classes targeted towards LGBT students upon completion. As someone who was made to feel shame in my queer body for so many years, getting to practice yoga with other LGBT students was a quiet, yet powerful revolution. I saw the positive impact I was able to make on their confidence, mood, and self-awareness and I wanted to do more. This led me to where I am today, currently working on a master’s degree in holistic health and wellness. Never forgetting that transformative time in my life, my goal is to work as a director of wellness or health promotion specialist at universities with a specialized focus on the more vulnerable populations, especially LGBT students. I believe that working in the industry and being a visible representation of queer students is essential in making them feel like they have access to care. Further, as someone passionate about individualized care, I plan to use my education to put that into practice through motivational interviewing, collaboration with other professionals, and applying a holistic health approach. My education is setting me up to become an evidence-based practitioner rooted in compassion and empathy, which I believe is the key to inspiring meaningful, long-lasting positive change. I want to see a world where all students feel safe, respected, and a sense of belonging, especially those who are more vulnerable. In my ideal world, people have easy access to care for their health, there is true inclusion and representation within the professional industry, and local communities flourish because people take care of each other. That is the change I want to see in the world and I fully intend to do my part.