I chose the University of North Florida because of the great campus and the many opportunities it has to offer — including those to live a healthy lifestyle while in college. My health is important to me and UNF has many programs and people in place to support me in my healthy endeavors.

While education is incredibly important to me, I don’t want my health and wellness to take a backseat. I think it is possible to do both and at UNF, I am finding it really easy to get a great education and meet my health goals. I really want to have an overall wellness in my life and want to feel healthy inside and out. It’s so easy to get bogged down by a busy schedule, but my goal is to find ways and time to make being healthy a part of my everyday life. In college, it is very easy to live an unhealthy lifestyle becausethe more unhealthy food is usually more convenient. Being healthy is a lifestyle choice. The decisions that I make right now regarding my health are going to affect me positively or negatively in the future. Being a Healthy Osprey is important to me because health — whether nutrition, fitness, mental or spiritual — is a big part of my everyday life and I want to make the right decisions that will impact me in the future.

And the University supports my choice to live as healthy a life as possible. All of the classes I am taking right now are health-centric because of the major I have chosen — I am majoring in Community Health with a minor in Health Education. The Department of Health Promotions frequently has health fairs and hosts numerous events each semester to reach out to the student and faculty population at UNF. And the fitness center is open during the day for students and faculty to use in between classes or during lunch breaks. Even the campus eateries offer several healthy choices that make it easy to grab a bite to eat.

And now that I am in my junior year, I know UNF was the right choice for me both in and out of the classroom. The classes I’m taking now are small to medium in size. My professors have been very approachable and are always willing to lend a helping hand. The small class size and personal attention from my professors helps me to learn to the best of my abilities. It also helps me build relationships with other students in the class. And I am really active outside class. I am peer educator in the Department of Health Promotions and I am a Healthy Osprey Ambassador. I have been able to meet a lot of people.

Next year, students will have a choice to live on a residence hall floor that will be dedicated to those who want to live a healthy lifestyle. The Healthy Osprey Living Learning Center (HO LLC) will be open in the Landing and will give students many opportunities to learn more about being healthy and to live a more active lifestyle. I think it will make it a lot easier for students to meet their health and wellness goals if they are living in a community that supports and encourages them. They will be surrounded by others who value a healthy lifestyle as much as they do.

It’s hard not to focus on a health while on campus. It is such a beautiful campus with acres of walking trails and nature preserves that you naturally want to be outside and enjoying it all. Combined with the programs offered through Health Promotions and the Healthy Osprey initiative, there are many ways to take the steps necessary for lifelong health.

So come join us. Be a Healthy Osprey at UNF!