What the Students Are Saying

Diane

Senior Study Title: In Search of Sensory Awareness: Rediscovering Self through the Way of the Horse.

"It was with great joy and satisfaction that I completed my BA degree in Health, Arts and Sciences at Goddard College in the Fall of 2008. My senior study, In Search of Sensory Awareness: Rediscovering Self through the Way of the Horse explored avenues to reconnect, strengthen and support our sensory awareness which has taken a back seat to our more analytical, and rational thought processes. In re-establishing a balance between the two we are afforded opportunities to understand our deeper, unconscious needs, motivations and drives and the emotional blocks which prevent us from reaching our full potential. My primary avenue for enhancing our sensory awareness focused on equine facilitated experiential learning based on the work of Linda Kohanov of Epona Equestrian Services. Horses, who have extremely well developed sensory awareness capabilities for their survival depends on it, are astute to the language of our bodies which is home to our sensory awareness system. When we allow them to interact with us, unencumbered by our human agendas, horses can provide for us a form of nonjudgmental, nonverbal biofeedback directed towards an awareness of our inner state of being and our relationship with the world around us. Through the support and guidance of the Health Arts and Sciences Program and its advisors, I was able to channel this somewhat unstructured, open ended field into a fascinating study which culminated in my undergraduate degree.

Sarah

Senior Study Title: Voices of Maya Midwives: Oral Histories of Practicing Midwives from the Mam Region of Guatemala.

“After graduating from Goddard I continued my midwifery education at a birth center in El Paso, Texas. I am working on finding an appropriate publisher for my senior study project, a book called Voices of Maya Midwives: Oral Histories of Practicing Midwives from the Mam Region of Guatemala. Two of the interviews I did with traditional midwives are being published in Midwifery Today, an international midwifery journal. The experience of successfully completing my project and my degree at Goddard has given me an enormous amount of confidence to take on some of the other dreams I have for my life.”

Siobhan

Senior Study Title: Auricular Acupuncture In Chemical Dependency Treatment: Essentials for Starting A Program.

“Goddard supported me getting my acupuncture clinic started, neither of us knowing what was ahead. So much has happened since then. I went on to manage the stress management component, for which ear acupuncture is the primary modality, at the "World Trade Center Healing Services Program” created in response to 9/11, by St Vincent’s Hospital. Now there are many clinic sites and I know I have to keep "moving" with my own development in order to answer the call of what I'm doing. My experience attending the Health Arts Program was exceptional. When I first heard about the school and read the faculty bios that were sent to me, I was amazed, and I knew that I found something very important.”

Marcianna

Senior Study Focus: Marcianna’s senior study incorporated issues of racism, sexism, sexual assault, and healing as part of her creative writing process.

“My Bachelor of Arts study at Goddard helped me refine and deepen and awaken to the learning I had prior to beginning the program; it gave me a hunger for more learning, and helped me expand upon my approach to healing. I continued my work in the community be opening a Center for Community Wellness. My Goddard education helped me find my identity and step fully into it. Recently a friend said an encouraging word in response to the challenges of opening this center, ‘your greatest challenge pales in comparison to the benefit of the work you will do for your community.’ I have Goddard to thank for setting me free and supporting me as a learner, for the extra power behind this vision. I am very excited about the possibilities!!!”

Andrew

Senior Study Focus: Andrew’s senior study incorporated the research and planning of a holistic learning center in Urban Philadelphia.

“The HAS program at Goddard was such a rich, transforming experience. It brought together things the larger world tends to pull apart. The faculty is nurturing AND brilliant. Left-brain AND right brain explorations are valued. Arts AND sciences, introspection AND expression, heart AND mind, and learning AND healing all find resonant place. The student body, variegated like flowers from a better world, brilliant in their own right, defies description. My own life dream, to open up a holistic learning center in Philadelphia, has gotten a lot closer to fulfillment because of my time at Goddard. The skill-set I’ve picked up here will save me a lot of time, money, and aggravation. The friends I've made will last a lifetime. Martin Luther King used to talk about the ‘beloved community’. I haven't found very many places in the real world that deserve that description. The Health Arts program is one for me and I feel richly blessed to have found this place and these people."

Bonnie

Senior Study Title: Lymphedema: What You Should Know. The Breast Cancer Patient's Holistic Guide to Prevention and Management.

“Goddard's unique environment provided me with the opportunity to get a BA degree relevant to my training, work, and experience. I hope my resulting book Lymphedema: What You Should Know. The Breast Cancer Patient's Holistic Guide to Prevention and Management will be published thereby offering information and assistance for women (and men) being treated for cancer."

Nancy

Senior Study Title: Headaches: A Critical Look at How Posture and Repetitive Holding Patterns Affect The Muscles of the Head, Neck, and Shoulders.

“I feel I have a lot more to contribute to our health professional field. Goddard gave me the confidence to continue writing actively for the massage therapy industry. I currently have two professional books in the works with two different publishers and review books regularly for many others. Life is good!”

Susan

Senior Study Title: Botanical Medicine in Midwifery Practice: A Handbook for Women’s Health Professionals.

“I've been running an apprentice-style herb school in Hawaii and loving that completely. Finishing my degree at Goddard gave me the unexpected confidence to pursue that dream…”

Loona

Senior Study Focus: Loona’s senior study looked at the power of women’s voices to inform and improve their own health.

“I came to Goddard wanting to learn how to be a healer of our American culture in a holistic sense. My study gave me the chance to give voice to the women in my community and tell their side of the doctor-patient relationship story. The process led me to a profound realization that objectivity and subjectivity are alternating manifestations of "truth" in the same way matter can manifest as both a particle and a wave. My study helped me grasp the importance of true diversity. The Health Arts and Sciences program at Goddard helped me to see how giving voice -- and an ear -- to contrasting perspectives is one way to heal our fractured culture. I am building my life on that foundation.”

Kerri

Senior Study Focus: Kerri’s senior study looked at the health outcomes of a variety of holistic modalities.

“After graduating I was employed as the Spa Boutique Manager at the Senator Inn & Spa in Augusta, Maine. My understanding of several holistic health modalities is utilized every day. From understanding the ingredients in our organic skin care line to teaching Vinyasa Yoga for beginners, my Goddard education has instilled the confidence and wisdom needed to perform at my best. Now I am continuing my education as a graduate student at Goddard.”