Hokie Wellness, Residential Well-being, Cook Counseling Center, Corps of Cadets
Well-being Award
Recipients: Amy Epperley, Ashley LeDuc, Sonia Doulamis, Deena Hines, Jazmin Jurkiewicz and Colleen Driscoll from Hokie Wellness; Rebecca Caldwell and Keely Arbenz-Smith from Residential Well-being; Sarah Jones and Erica Freeman from Cook Counseling; Myself, Maj. Gen. William H. Seely III, Brig. Gen. Craig Alia, Col. Robert Shelton, Capt. Jamie McGrath, and Ken Mallory from the Corps of Cadets.
The Student Affairs Well-being Award is presented to the Student Affairs employee or group of employees that create an environment or experience that promotes well-being and encourages success in others and centers on a sense of purpose, physical and emotional well-being, supportive relationships, financial security, and/or community satisfaction. Some of the criteria include exemplifies sustainable collaboration, develops meaningful environments and experiences which promote personal and collective well-being.
This award goes to a remarkable group of employees, who have brought together their teams to show us what’s possible when we break down silos and build systems of support that are holistic, sustainable, and student-centered.
Beginning in Fall 2023, this group formed a Mental Health Working Group to improve the experience of new cadets. They created resource guides, co-led family orientation sessions, and offered cadet-specific training — building a coordinated support system that no single office could have achieved alone.
In Fall 2024, they expanded their collaboration to address alcohol use among cadets. They surveyed over 1,200 students, analyzed the data, and co-developed recommendations that led to transformative initiatives — including a four-year tiered alcohol education program and a new privilege policy for seniors, grounded in values-based decision making and student leadership.
They’ve also expanded the CSADD peer-led initiative, training students in active listening, motivational interviewing, and wellness education. And starting next academic year, CSADD 2.0 will be available to all VTCC students — with tracks in mental health, substance use, sexual health, and leadership.
From distributing color-coded resource guides to co-presenting at orientation, this team has normalized conversations around well-being, reduced stigma, and created meaningful opportunities for growth.
Their work exemplifies everything this award stands for: sustainable collaboration, innovative resource use, and the creation of transformative student experiences.