Empowering Growth Through Wellbeing
Pictured left: Emily Hawkins ’27
Emily Hawkins is a sophomore at Trinity Christian College majoring in Speech Pathology and minoring in Special Education. She chose to pursue this path because she deeply cares for the wellbeing of those around her, especially children, and wants to directly impact their lives through services that uplift voices that may have been missed due to physical or mental incapacities—her part in building the Kingdom of God.
As an active member of the campus community, she participates in an internship and mentors first-year Thrive students. The Thrive Program is an initiative the College offers to help new students transition to academia and the overall collegiate experience. Hawkins is passionate about helping students and deeply loves Trinity because “of its welcoming environment, positivity, and deep understanding of how to love others as well as the amount of joy present on campus.” She also greatly appreciates how professors want to help their students succeed by caring for the person before the schoolwork.
A recent addition to the campus experience that students like Hawkins love is Wellbeing Wednesdays. Students’ overall well-being is emphasized every day at Trinity, but this one day a week, free from classes, focuses specifically on giving students time to spend on their well-being since classes are not held. To thrive, students must allow themselves time to engage in the activities and hobbies they are passionate about. Wednesdays are the perfect day of the week to do so at Trinity.
Hawkins spends her Wellbeing Wednesdays completing internship hours, sleeping in, working on homework, meeting with professors, and, most recently, mentoring her Thrive students. She is grateful for this weekday break and emphasizes its importance because “it is a day of rest in the middle of the week – it is like a mini weekend.” It allows her to step back and reorganize herself for the days ahead. She added, “Wellbeing Wednesdays promote healing and rest, encouraging the student body to advocate for themselves and use the additional free time as they see fit.”
Being well spiritually, mentally, and physically is vital for college students as they manage busy schedules and workloads. Trinity always emphasizes developing the whole person, not just the student. Wellbeing Wednesdays is just one of the many ways the College is working to create meaningful experiences for current and prospective students.
The campus community looks forward to continuing semesters of Wellbeing Wednesdays, which will be filled with incredible blessings, experiences, and opportunities for years to come.
Click here to learn more about how Trinity Christian College is doing college differently.
