In the Spring of 2019, I spent the semester studying abroad in Florence, Italy. It was here that I had the incredible opportunity to focus on my nutrition minor and gain exposure to nutrition and associated health-related topics. One of my classes, The Art of Yoga and Meditation, provided students with an introduction to the art of yoga and gain an understanding of the philosophical and spiritual contexts in which the discipline is rooted in. Additionally, students were given the opportunity to gain exposure to the teacher-training process if they were interested to do so. While my story with yoga does not start in Italy, it was here that I realized my desire to obtain a 200-hour teacher training certification and give back to a community that gave me a fresh perspective on life.

  

The summer after my Freshman year of college, I became ill and suffered from a multitude of stomach-related health issues. Following my numerous diagnoses, I was forced to drastically alter my diet and lifestyle in order to start the healing process of my intestinal lining. When I returned to Carolina in the fall, I found myself suddenly struggling in social settings. As someone who is normally very outgoing and lively, I began shying away from friends and social events, uncomfortable with my own health issues, my inability to eat most foods, and the fear of attempting to explain to people the severity of what I was dealing with. After being routinely absent from the Carolina social scene, football games and get-togethers with my friend group, I had a close friend pull me aside and invite me to attend a yoga class with her. She promised that there were mental, emotional, and physical benefits to the practice, and she felt as though I needed help in all three of those areas given my current situation.

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To say yoga changed my life would be an understatement. For the first time since I fell ill, my mind was clear and I was able to acknowledge and address my health issues in a space where I felt safe, accepted, and encouraged. I became aware of what was worth my energy, the importance of setting goals and working towards them, and ­­­­­that every choice we make either enhances our spirit or drains it. You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously, and yoga taught me that you are not what has happened to you, you are how you have overcome it. I wasn’t just practicing yoga to get better at yoga, I was practicing applying the fundamentals of yoga to all areas of my life. I was living the yoga mantras off my mat, and was becoming a healthier, happier, and stronger person because of it.

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Ironically, it wasn’t until I was standing on my mat in Florence, mid-practice, frustrated with my inability to nail the Bird of Paradise pose, that I realized how far I had come since the first time I stepped on a yoga mat. Just one year prior, I was sick, depressed, and struggling day in and day out with my new “normal.” Because of yoga, there I was, across the world, living my life to the fullest, and I was upset because I couldn’t complete a pose. In midst of this epiphany, I knew that I wanted to become a yoga teacher and help expose others to the mental and physical benefits of yoga that undoubtedly saved my life.  

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When I was a Freshman, I was enrolled in University 101, a first-year student experience class that aims to aid in the successful transition of new students to the University of South Carolina by connecting them with upper-division students who serve as mentors and role models. The class is facilitated by a professor and a peer leader who is in their Junior or Senior year. The nationally recognized University 101 Peer Leader Program is an important component to the U101 course and as a result of having a peer leader, first-year students develop a connection with the Carolina community and establish a sense of belonging while gaining access to campus resources and opportunities that contribute to their educational experience.

 

My peer leader was phenomenal. A friend to everyone, a shoulder to lean on when we were struggling, and vulnerable with us about her own trials and tribulations. She was relatable, understanding, and genuine. Martha and my instructor, Phil, ran U101 unconventionally, fueling class discussions with their own stories and allowed for us to share ours in return. I was exposed to campus traditions, opportunities to get involved, and academic support tools that would eventually set the foundation for my success at Carolina. Despite being 3,000 miles away from my house in California, I found myself calling Columbia home and my U101 class my family.

 

When I looked back on my time at Carolina, the good, the great, the bad, the growth, the learning lessons and watching myself evolve into the person I’m becoming, I saw how the pieces fell into place exactly when and where I needed them to; certainly not as together as I would’ve expected, but somehow more complete than I could have ever imagined. My college experience has been incomparable, with no words to express my sincerest gratitude to a University that has given me so much, starting with the strong foundation that I developed in University101. It was because of this genuine appreciation for Carolina that I wanted to give Freshmen the same experience that I had in U101 and help them create a strong foundation for academic, personal, and professional success.

 

As a Senior with many moments this final year being nostalgic, I saw my time at Carolina coming full circle when I became Phil’s peer leader for U101. Similar to the way my U101 class had been structured three years prior, Phil and I collaborated on what topics we wanted to cover and created a general outline for the semester. Phil gave me the liberty of creating lesson plans myself, allowing me to introduce topics that I found to be important. Prior to studying abroad, I would not have been comfortable creating a lesson plan and teaching to a group of people for fear of failure and vulnerability. With the confidence I had gained from teaching yoga in Italy, I have been successful in sharing my own perspectives and personal experiences with our U101 class, creating meaningful lesson plans that have sparked discussion and shed light on topics that might have otherwise been difficult to discuss in a group setting.

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My beyond the classroom artifact displayed above is a sample of a lesson plan that I created, emphasizing the importance of health, nutrition, and wellbeing. Knowing how I had I lost sight of my own health-related priorities, I felt the need to introduce to my class two weeks-worth of wellness-based discussion covering topics including mental health, stress management, sleep schedules, the benefits of exercise, and the eight aspects of wellness. I shared with the class my own struggles with health while in college and the methods I used to get myself back on track.  After class, one of my students approached me and expressed his concerns about his diet since coming to college, worried that he wasn’t eating enough and wasn’t properly balancing his caloric intake and expenditure. We sat and created a plan that would track his meals, exercise levels, and sleep, as well as a weekly check in-schedule so that going forward, we could review his progress and see where he needed to make adjustments. It was in this moment that I experienced the value that comes from being vulnerable and sharing experiences and knowledge with others. Like my peer leader Martha had helped me Freshman year, I had the ability to have a positive impact on my U101 students, creating a chain reaction of paying it forward.

 

After my experiences in Italy teaching yoga and being U101 instructor at Carolina, giving back to my community has become an important priority of mine. I would not be the person I am today if it were not for the opportunities and experiences that I have worked for and those that have been presented to me. As a business major, I now have a better understanding the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and what it means to give back in a business setting. Corporate Social Responsibility is a business model that holds companies accountable to itself, its stakeholders, the public, and more recently, the environment. Through CSR programs, philanthropy, and volunteer efforts, companies and individuals have the opportunity to enhance society and positively impact economic and environmental factors.

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As corporate responsibility continues to expand and become more critical to stakeholders and consumers, is important that businesses recognize the benefits of investing in people and programs that give back. After graduation, I will take this mentality and apply it to my future career in a corporate setting. As important as CSR is for the community, it is equally as valuable for the company itself. Associated CSR activities have the potential to create a stronger bond between employees and the company they’re working for. I will ensure that whatever my future employment opportunity may be, that there is an emphasis on CSR and their commitment to giving back to the community.