Permanent link for WIT Reflection on October 15, 2024

Over the past three years, since Fall ‘21, I have been a peer educator for this amazing team! The Wellness Information Team, or WIT for short, is a team compiled of some super smart, creative and passionate Grand Valley students. I joined WIT to be able to connect my interest in nutrition and my enthusiasm to learn more about health and wellness in a more organized and purposeful way. I can say after three years, I have definitely learned a lot!  I wanted to write this blog post to go over some of my experiences and reflect on my time as a WIT peer educator.  

What Does WIT Do? 

Many people ask: “What does WIT do?” so I’ll list a few examples. Many people know us for the Ask WIT cart. This is a mobile cart that we take around campus (rain or shine!) to reach students where they are. The cart includes a wide array of wellness items, such as snacks, candy, coloring pages, sensory/fidget items and of course, safer sex supplies (external condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, lube, etc). If we don’t have something you need at the cart, we’ll be able to direct you to where you can get it on campus. Connecting with fellow students during WIT cart shifts was one of my favorite aspects of WIT. 

We also do presentations. You may have seen our presentations such as, Finding Rest in the Grind, Healthy Relationships, or Setting Boundaries to name a few. We strive to make our presentations fun and informative for your wellness goals and to make your time at college a little bit easier. Similarly, WIT also helps with programs or events. A couple of events we were a part of this semester were Sex Ed Week and Eat Well (our collaboration with Laker Food Co.). Whether it be assembling gummy pizzas to represent the menstrual cycle or guessing the brain food to benefit our intellectual health, our events and programs always made going to work super entertaining. 

Other Team Testimonials

I could go on and on about my own countless positive experiences with WIT but I also want to share other graduating WIT members’ thoughts: 

“I joined WIT in August of 2022, because I heard about the opportunity through the LGBT resource center and was interested in wellness and peer sex education because it's so heavily stigmatized but very important in a place like Allendale. 

I have learned so much from being on WIT, but my biggest takeaway is the importance of peer education on wellness because of how much misinformation there is surrounding different wellness topics. 

My favorite memories from being on WIT are 

1) the August 2022 recfest because I got to talk to students and educate them on safer sex supplies  

2) the public health conference I attended, where I learned so much about the behind-the-scenes of public health and the importance of public health officials fighting through the misinformation to protect public health. 

I would recommend others join WIT because it is a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people, learn about the dimensions of wellness, and make lasting relationships with the people on WIT.” 

-Rowan 

“I joined WIT during the Winter Semester of my Sophomore year!  

I joined WIT because I wanted to help debunk myths and share important information with my peers.  

On WIT, I have learned about the multifaceted needs of the student body and how they are intertwined with the 8 dimensions of wellness.  

My favorite memory on WIT is making people smile at the WIT Cart!  

I would 100% recommend others to join WIT! WIT has been one of my favorite college experiences!” 

-Ru  

Could You Picture Yourself Here? 

If any of this seemed interesting and you’d like to be a part of this amazing team, we’d love to see some new faces and perspectives on the team. There’s so much to learn, especially as new personalities and viewpoints join the team. If you want to apply for a position starting next school year, follow this link to the job description and application! 

I’m so grateful for this experience and for being a WIT peer educator and I can’t wait to see what else WIT does in the future! 

By: Claire, former WIT Peer Educator

Categories: WIT
Posted on Permanent link for WIT Reflection on October 15, 2024.