Photo Contributed by Hayley George
“Hayley is easy to work with and seamlessly became part of our team. She is happy to help whenever she can and eager to learn,” Megan Fischer said.
California Lutheran University recently welcomed alumna Hayley George, who earned her master’s degree in counselor education last May, as its new Wellness Resources coordinator midway through last fall semester.
“I just really wanted to help other people, especially students,” George said. “Students go through a lot, more [than] individuals realize, whether it’s not even just academics, but at outside sources that are out of their control as well.”
Shortly after her graduation last May, George said she saw a job posting for the position at Wellness Resources. George said she was “very, very excited” to come back for interviews and ultimately obtain the role.
“Hayley is easy to work with and seamlessly became part of our team. She is happy to help whenever she can and eager to learn,” Megan Fischer, the director of retention and transition programs, said. “Hayley puts the students first above all else.”
According to Cal Lutheran’s website, Wellness Resources provides information and an outlet for students to ask questions about nutrition and fitness, mental and emotional health, sexual health, alcohol and drug use, and sexual violence prevention. In addition to its Wellness Lounge in the Student Union, the group also hosts a series of events throughout the year, including Cooking Up Wellness and De-Stress Fest.
“I see Hayley continuing to shape student wellness by building on the strong foundation she has already created. She is thoughtful in how she approaches student needs and is always looking for ways to make wellness more accessible and relevant,” Fischer said.
For college students, George said practicing wellness is especially important because of the new experiences people have while attending university. She said that while it is a busy and exciting time, a person’s well-being can sometimes be pushed aside in an effort to experience as much as possible.
George said she hopes students can learn to say “no” sometimes, and check in on themselves rather than pushing themselves and potentially burning themselves out.
“Wellness definitely depends on each student, but as a whole, is this make sure to live there taking care of themselves as much as they possibly can, in whatever fashion that does look like to them in a way that really helps them succeed,” George said. “Finding moments of peace for them in areas of chaos, I think, is always really, really helpful.”
Fischer said George supervises three student interns who work as peer health educators. Fischer said George has created a supportive and collaborative environment for these students to contribute their ideas.
Fischer said because it is George’s first academic year as the Wellness Resources coordinator, she has been delivering activities that were pre-planned for this year. Despite using the prearranged programs, Fischer said George has already created many opportunities for students to learn more about well-being in a safe and accessible environment.
“Getting to provide all of the different events for the different student populations that we have on campus, … it’s been really intriguing just to learn something new every single day,” George said.
Fischer said she looks forward to seeing what George has to offer in the next year of programming. She said George has her own “perspectives and experience” that will help Wellness Resources grow. One aspect Fischer highlighted is George’s ability to educate students while maintaining the “fun” aspect of programming.
“It all ties into really helping our students, which I think is fantastical to have,” George said. “I’m excited to continue to learn, and to continue to grow, and so it’s been a lot just to, like, absorb everything, and I think I’m still absorbing some things, but definitely some notice little areas of progression every single day I would say.”
Fischer said that Wellness Resources has been a big part of Student Life at Cal Lutheran for many years, and now with George at the helm of the program, she said she believes George will “strengthen student engagement and expand the reach of wellness resources across campus.”
“I feel like everybody kind of has an understanding that there’s just something special about Cal Lu, and we all are happy and excited to be here,” George said. “Getting to see that firsthand from being a student and then now being a staff member is a really, really cool turnaround to know that I can provide to the school that provided me with so much the past three years.”
