Clemson MBA Wellness Program

It's been a long time coming but we've made some amazing progress with the Wellness Program! (you can read my previous posts for additional background on why I initiated this program).

I won't go into crazy detail but here are some of the bigger hurdles I was able to overcome in order to move forward.

1. I introduced the Wellness Program to the MBA Student Association. (I'm Philanthropy Chair, so they kind of had to hear me out :) Still, they were very supportive and have helped in every way possible with getting this program off the ground and making it a reality. 2. We held our first free fitness class with MADabolic, our local strength and conditioning interval training studio (this class was so amazing, thank you to everyone who came!) 3. Lastly, I met with our Dean of the MBA program; presented my research and the progress its made. With his approval, we're able to move forward with scheduling more free fitness classes as well as providing healthier snack options to our students.

So, these are all wonderful things but there definitely aspects of the program that need to be thought through a bit more.

1. Budget. I don't want this program to die out when the money does, but to last well after I graduate. I'm thinking about how I can raise money for the program in conjunction with supporting other local health and wellness charities, that way everyone is being helped (comment below if you have any organizations in mind!) 2. Mental health. Resources (on site counseling and workshops) are still only offered on the main campus and there hasn't been any movement getting them to Greenville. In the meantime, I plan to advertise local health and wellness events. Students would have to pay for this (for the time being, unless overtime we raise enough funds to cover a portion).

Overall, this program has really let me open up to sharing my passions within health and fitness (definitely still finding my way but much more confident in what I want to do in the future) and most importantly it's given me the opportunity to start and complete an idea of my own. I'm looking forward to growing this program and spreading awareness to the community.

Thanks for reading!

xx maria