Applied Health Sciences hosts Spring It On

Baker University’s Department of Applied Health Sciences hosted its annual Spring It On event in conjunction with the Community Wellness Festival on Saturday, April 6, in the George F. Collins Sports and Convention Center on the Baldwin City campus.

“Spring It On provides a ton of value to both our students and department overall,” said Dr. Erin Holt, associate professor of exercise science and public health. “It’s great for the students to have the opportunity to gain valuable experience by interacting with the community during the Wellness Festival. Our students are going to work in a variety of allied health fields and public health settings, and they will have to talk to people regularly. This allows them to begin having these interactions in a more controlled environment, while providing community members with information about health and fitness.”

Exercise science students staffed booths at the Wellness Festival that provided posture exams and grip tests. They also outlined home exercise routines that festival-goers could take home for reference. Public health students instructed visitors on proper hand washing, how to talk to their physicians about health concerns, and the importance of vaccines.

After the Wellness Festival, students and their families and Baker alumni participated in Spring It On, which included lunch, a preview of the new recreation program offered through the Department of Applied Health Science, and networking opportunities. Alumni and students competed in Minute to Win It–style games.

“It’s nice to bring families in and alumni back as a way to continue our vision of creating a home for our students while at Baker,” said Holt. “We are proud of the work our current students and alumni do, and this gives us the chance connect the groups in a meaningful way. My personal favorite part of the day is growing connections with our current students and their families or reestablishing old connections with our alumni that return.”