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Show FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 5 Getting rewarded for getting massages By CHRIS NICHOLS A&E Reporter Beginning a new semester can be stressful, but did you know that you can earn prizes for meditating or lifting weights? Thanks to Weber State’s Wellness Center, you can. Located on the second floor in the Wildcat Center, the Wellness Center has a rewards program where students can earn prizes by participating in different activities that promote health. Any Weber State student can pick up a rewards card from the Wellness Center and pick up points by leading a healthier lifestyle, physically, mentally and emotionally. “We felt that students should be aware of what their fees go to help paying for,” Student Wellness Coordinator Rochelle Creager said. “We have facilities like the Stress Relief Center, the Health Center and the entire gym, all for free to students …The [rewards] program helps students explore what is available to them on campus.” Creager mentioned that the point of this rewards program is to help students become independent in living a healthy lifestyle and knowledgeable about what is offered to them on campus. “Some students don’t find out until their senior year that things like the Stress Relief Center are free and open to any student,” she said. “They need to know what they have available to them and let others know too.” The Wellness Center advocates fit Ariana Berkemeier / The Signpost The Student Wellness Center, located on the second floor of the Wildcat Center. lifestyles including a balance in physical, spiritual, occupational, emotional, environmental, intellectual, social and financial health. By offering the rewards program, the Wellness Center is able to strengthen students’ ability to navigate life’s obstacles. Earning rewards through athletic activities can include intramural sports, meeting with a personal trainer, swimming in the pool, rock climbing at the Weber Rocks wall, joining a Weber Walks group and being part of a group fitness class. Mental health is also an emphasis with the rewards program. “If you’re physically healthy, but not mentally healthy, then you’re not well,” Creager said. Students can also be rewarded by taking advantage of the programs to help alleviate some of the pressures of life. This includes visiting the Stress Relief Center, meditation groups, relaxation groups and learning skills on coping with difficult college experiences. The prizes people can earn vary, but Creager said it’s usually something to promote their health. Each card that has 10 activities completed will earn a prize and be entered into a raffle to win a gift card for the bookstore at the end of the semester. Creager emphasized that most, but not all, of these activities in the rewards program are free for students. “There are some other clubs that do things, like rafting, that are not free but are heavily discounted so that any student can go,” she said. “Students can also rent equipment, like snowboards, at a discount. These sort of activities are part of the rewards program, so more students can know what is available to them here at Weber State.” Students can obtain a rewards card in the Wellness Center, room 201 in the Wildcat Center. Details about the rewards program and the Wellness Center can be found at their page on Weber State’s website. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com Cooking brought me closer to my culture By JEWELIETTE CORDERO A&E Reporter I often heard the expression, “You’ll understand when you get older” from my parents growing up, any time we’d talk about college and adult life. It used to make me angry because I’d always thought myself to be mature enough to understand the situation without ever having to experience it. But they were right. We used to have conversations about my father’s college experience, so I had some idea of what to expect. He told me all about not eating extravagant meals, sometimes not even having food to eat at all, the college student budget, late nights, roommates and homesickness. For the most part, I would like to say that I was prepared for everything. I knew I would get homesick, but I didn’t know how much until I was finally two states away. There’s an old adage: “Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.” In fall semester of 2015, I found myself in the middle of nowhere: a brand new place that I knew nothing about. I can honestly say that I discovered more about myself and who I was in this first year of college than I ever had before. Not only did I get the opportunity to discover who I was as a person, but I also got to find my culture. I know that may sound a little odd, but it’s true. Growing up, I never thought I was in touch with my hispanic culture. Compared to other people, I always felt very modern and non-traditional. I had always felt awkward and out of place because I knew my ethnicity but never really felt a part of it. This was until I left my home and my family. Leaving Southern California, a place highly populated with Hispanic culture, and moving to Utah was a big culture shock for me. Suddenly, I felt very Hispanic and realized how much of the culture was in my life. I started to miss home and being surrounded by other people who shared and understood my culture. Not having all the little things in my life was what finally allowed me to get in touch with my culture. The thing I missed the My homemade fajita, a family recipe. most was the food. It didn’t take long for me to start craving tamales, menudo (a mexican soup) and pan dulce (sweet bread). After a while without the things that reminded me most of home, I thought to myself, I just need to learn how to make these. This not only would fulfill my wish of always wanting to learn, but I could also have great food whenever I wanted. I failed miserably the first couple times, which is sad, considering that I tried some of the easiest recipes. For example, taquitos calls for chicken or beef, corn tortillas, some seasoning and oil. Simple, right? Yet, flavor packets and salt were my saving grace for all of my attempts so far. Food helped with my homesickness and helped me find my culture. Every bite I take of menudo or other traditional dishes takes me back home to my family, and I don’t feel so alone anymore. It’s comforting and just makes everything right. So even though I am not able to be home, cooking takes me home every time. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com JEWELIETTE CORDERO | The Signpost |