Senior Assisting In Lynn Wellness Program
By Alli Mancani
Staff Writer
Numerous students, like Victoria Mascioli, have aided the process in the Lynn wellness program by educating the community about a variety of topics and ways to stay healthy throughout their lives.
Mascioli is a senior in the 3.0 accelerated program, majoring in international business management and minoring in marketing. Originally, from Somers, N.Y., Mascioli is involved in Tri-Sigma and holds a chairman position while also serving as a peer leader and a member of the wellness educators.
On campus, the wellness educators promote different topics every Wednesday in the Perper Plaza. They discuss topics, such as meal prepping, time management, sexual assault and how to eat healthy in the dining commons, among other topics. When supervisors Jennah Ackerman and Charlotte Muriel receive emails about various ideas, the wellness educators will go into classrooms and give presentations on the issues.
“Since I am very involved, going to every event can be very overwhelming,” said Mascioli. “But from being a wellness educator, I have good time management skills and try to attend as many events as I can. I will never drop out of anything I am involved in because I just want to make my campus as good as it can be and get students to love this campus as much as I do.”
Being a wellness educator is simple for Mascioli, as she can speak from her own experiences and wants to help students realize how real health is on a daily basis. Mascioli joined wellness educators because she always wanted to help different groups of students. Being part of this group allows her to embrace several different topics and learn about new things.
During the summer of 2016, Mascioli found out that she was allergic to both dairy and gluten, forcing her to change her lifestyle completely in the blink of an eye. As a result, she now has to be significantly healthier and extremely cautious in what she puts in her body.
When Mascioli does decide to go out to dinner, she has to ask the server and sometimes chef what is in the food to make sure she is able to consume it. With all of this considered, it has become simpler for her to eat at home.
“From personal experience, the dining commons are both a blessing and a curse considering it is open 24/7 for that late night snacking and going back for as many meals as you please,” said Mascioli. “I gained the freshman 15, but I eventually lost it and am back to my normal weight and feel so much better.”
Considering that for most of her life Mascioli had been a health enthusiast, making the dairy-free and gluten-free transition was simple, despite everyone telling her how difficult it must be. When going to the dining commons, she always eats at the new vegan/vegetarian bar.
Realizing how important staying healthy is and the importance of campus recreation is essential for Mascioli. She insists utilizing the gym on campus is a good resource, as it will allow students to stay in shape and keep off the “Freshman 15.”
If anyone wants to join the wellness educators and increase their knowledge of health and wellness issues, contact Charlotte Muriel at (561)-237-7955 or cmuriel@lynn.edu.
