Student Wellbeing at Trinity Christian College
Wellbeing Wednesdays are a community favorite at Trinity Christian College. No classes on Wednesdays allow students to catch up on sleep, do homework, work, and socialize with friends. There are various ways that students spend their Wellbeing Wednesdays, and all of these ways contribute to student growth, whether personal, spiritual, academic, social, or professional. The College prioritizes students’ overall wellbeing, which is evident through this ground-breaking initiative because the faculty and staff at Trinity wish to see their students thrive while pursuing their educational journey.
After transferring to Trinity last year, Mary (Honey) Mathieu is one of the students who quickly fell in love with having no classes on Wednesdays. Learning about Trinity’s emphasis on student mental health and wellbeing was one of the main reasons Mary decided to transfer to the College after attending her previous university for four years as a quadruple major. She struggles with her mental health due to past trauma, so knowing her wellbeing could be prioritized while maintaining a heavy course load has been vital to her success as a student. Having Wednesdays off from classes allows her to prioritize other professional and personal commitments she loves.
Mathieu has participated in Trinity’s Cooperative Learning (Co-Op) Program for the past year. Since she typically has more availability on Wednesdays due to not having classes, she has dedicated her Wellbeing Wednesdays to the work she does for her Co-Op sites. During her first semester at Trinity, she served as an intern for Streetwise in Chicago, a nonprofit dedicated to serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness in the Chicagoland area. This past fall, she interned for Trinity’s Center for Transformative Neighborhoods, which “works with students, partners, and neighborhoods to do college differently.” She plans to continue her internship at this incredible site during the spring semester.
Beyond her internship experiences with the Co-Op Program at Trinity, Mathieu spends the rest of her Wellbeing Wednesdays working on homework and practicing self-care by spending time with her emotional support animal, Dakota, and watching movies. When the weather is nice, she loves to take early morning walks with Dakota, but when it is not, sleeping in is another advantage of not having classes on Wednesdays. She is grateful that she transferred to the Trinity and “hopes everyone can see how beneficial wellbeing initiatives like those implemented at Trinity are for college students because college is a busy time for many of us. Prioritizing spiritual, mental, and physical health is so important because of this!”
Click here to learn more about how Trinity Christian College is prioritizing wellbeing.
