Students of any major have an opportunity to be a Peer Ambassador of Wellness (PAW) volunteer and help make the campus a healthier place.

Applications for the PAW program during the 2017-2018 academic year became available in February and will be open until April 7.

The program is designed to provide students with health-based presentations and activities to promote a healthier lifestyle. Some topics include nutrition, physical activity and safety.            

“Our goal is to have things available to all Fresno State students so that they have a healthier experience during their time here,” Stephanie Annett said.   

Annett is a dietitian at the health center who helps recruit students who apply for PAW.

Students make a one-year commitment and volunteer five hours per week during both semesters. PAW volunteers also participate in mandatory training over the summer.

Annett said she works closely with the nutrition and physical activity PAW volunteers. These volunteers have put together presentations such as the upcoming “Bites to Bytes: Digitally Tracking Food and Exercise” workshop on March 14.

The workshop will demonstrate how students can benefit from using electronic food tracking apps. This is just one of the workshops offered, and special activities can be requested like the “Bulldog Trails: Guided Walking Tour.”

“There’s valuable experiences for both PAW volunteers and students,” Annett said. “The volunteers get hands-on experience, while the students get resources on campus to help them live healthier and well.”

Depression is another topic that is covered by PAW volunteers. Mayeli Rodriguez, a third-year pre-nursing student and PAW volunteer, said she works closely with the depression theme team to plan events such as the “I Heart Me” event.    

She said she joined PAW to be more connected to her school, connect students to resources and gain leadership skills.

“When you volunteer as a Peer Ambassador of Wellness, you get to work alongside health educators working hard to ensure students are aware of health services,” Rodriguez said.

Self-love is an idea that PAW volunteers try to pass on to everyone. Rachel Griffin, second-year psychology student, said PAW collaborated with other clubs to come up with uplifting ideas for the “I Heart Me” event.

“I think self-care and love is amazingly important because it’s an overall promotion of people loving themselves and being more aware of their mental and physical health, and that’s what PAW is about,” Griffin said.

She said volunteers have an advantage in their approaches to students because they like to think from their perspective.

“It’s such an amazing program to be a part of and a great way to connect,” Griffin said. “If you have a heart for volunteer work, why not give it a try?”