Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Allostatic load in students, commonly referred to as student burnout, is extremely detrimental to emotional, mental, and physical health. Recent studies are finding an uptick in allostatic load in students, as academic pressures continue to rise. In order to meet the changing needs of students, universities should address the effects of overwhelming academic stress and student burnout. My thesis aimed to provide college campuses with the tools they need to do so, particularly through the implementation of Talking Circles. Talking Circles are structured discussions aimed to address specific issues, problems, or talking points. I had the opportunity to design, create, and facilitate Talking Circles with the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) Chapter at Arizona State University. The focus of these circles were designed to have specific emphasis on reducing allostatic load in ASU’s student population. Thus, the Talking Circle prompts, following the principles of positive psychology, focused on emphasizing individual strengths in regards to handling stress. Through individual participant feedback, students felt “empowered, strengthened, and safe” after participating in the Talking Circles. In addition to facilitating these psychosocial support groups, I created a digital toolkit that allows for easier accessibility and distribution of Talking Circles. This allows for not only more students at ASU to feel ‘empowered and strengthened’ but for college students across the U.S. to have the tools, resources, and access to manage stress and reduce allostatic load.
The purpose of this project was to develop a student-led holistic nurses chapter as a space where students can learn to apply mind-body based modalities into their routine, accommodating their unique lifestyle. This paper aims to discuss the process of implementing a student-led holistic chapter. From this project further discussion can be completed in regards to policy, practice, research, and inclusion. Policy can be developed in regards to student-driven processes and procedures of the new chapter. This experience can translate to nurses who develop policy in the practice setting. Practice focus can be implemented within the chapter as self-care application and how to bring knowledge to patients in the clinical setting. Research studies can measure the effectiveness of the chapter in regards to student stress levels and academic improvement. Inclusion is a unique part of this initiative as the goal is to grow the student-led organization by inviting nursing students from all schools in the state. Inclusion of leaders from the American Holistic Nurses Association in mentoring and supporting the initiatives is critical.
