Christian Jenkins

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Campus
Health & WellBeing

BECAUSE I’M A CSU STEM VISTA…

I improved my leadership and management skills.

I have been able to motivate many students to take action for their own wellbeing. I have also developed my leadership skills. As I’ve talked to students and shared my knowledge on self-care topics, I became more comfortable with the resources I was sharing. This helped me to build my confidence so that I could share with larger groups. I have improved many skills that I didn’t know I had and I can’t wait to see how I change by the end of the year.

My Favorite Part of CSU STEM VISTA...

When I get to talk with people in the Engineering school, I feel like I’ve been invited into another world.

Engineering wasn’t my major, so I wasn’t sure how I would make those connections. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I was welcomed in spite of being a newcomer. Through building these relationships, I’ve seen so many people come and express their need for the program. As this need for self-care awareness has grown, so have the outreach effects for the project. I have spoken with many members of faculty that are on board with this project goal.

My Typical Work Day

On a typical work day I’m coordinating meetings with faculty and staff within the College of Engineering so that I can tell them more about my project and gain their support.

The goal for the project is to integrate wellness programming within the College of Engineering. I am creating a survey and focus group to gather student voices to gain buy-in from stakeholders in the College. Our goal for the year is to develop a long-term emotional support group built of Engineering faculty and staff to teach students resilience techniques to help cope with failures, stress and personal struggles.

Why I Chose My Campus

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is unique because of how it actually lives by the words “learn by doing.”

The applied work the students do at Cal Poly is something I wasn’t familiar with. These students have access to a lot of academic resources that help them gain more knowledge within their majors. When I hear the stories from students of what they did during their quarters, it’s exciting. One of the engineering groups made an arm for a small disabled child. This teaching gives me hope for the future professionals.

Why I Serve with CSU STEM VISTA

The objective of CSU STEM VISTA program motivated me to want to serve my year.

I feel as though the engineering students need more support than people realize. Mental health is a topic that is starting to become normalized but is still taboo. When I saw that the project was geared toward engineering students, I felt a personal attachment to the program because I have friends who are engineering students. Knowing the wellness concerns engineering students go through, I would want a program to be created to support my friends. With this in mind, I made my decision to serve.

One Moment That Stands Out

The relationships I have built with my fellow VISTA members has impacted me the most.

Being able to work with a group of people that are on similar journeys but bring different knowledge is refreshing. When I am confused, I can talk with my fellow VISTAs. We are able to come up with solutions together, rather than trying to solve these problems on our own. Those interactions have helped me with becoming a better leader to my peers and students. Having this support of fellow members has built my confidence to share my ideas with members on my project team.

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