Life on a college campus like the University of Arizona can be filled with activities – sporting events, classes and nights out on Greek Row or University Boulevard.
But many students have trouble finding balance, sometimes leading to physical, mental and emotional challenges. That’s where the AZ Wellness Society steps in.
“Our mission is to create a supportive, inclusive community where students can explore and thrive in all aspects of wellness – mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual,” said junior Rosalia Davino, president and co-founder of the AZ Wellness Society at the UA.
“It’s important to consider that wellness doesn’t just mean how you may physically appear, but how you feel emotionally, by just tapping into what’s important to you, your identity, your values,” she said.
The Wellness Society started in the summer of 2024 when Davino had a conversation about wellness with a high school best friend who attended the University of Alabama.
In the Fall, the Wellness Society started at University of Alabama. Since then 40 other chapters have opened, including the UA’s.
“I noticed that there was wellness resources on campus, but they weren’t necessarily easy to find or were super accessible to the majority of the student population,” Davino said.
Her goal was to create another space where students could access resources to help them feel their best.
The AZ Wellness Society became an official club at the UA last Fall, and now has more than 600 members and 1,500 followers on their platform on Instagram.
The organization hosts events that help foster physical and mental wellness, including horseback riding, fitness classes, weekly meetings and bible studies.
“We started out this year with maybe 20 members that were just our close friends that were really behind the reason why we were doing it,” said Aspen Kropf, vice president and co-founder of the AZ Wellness Society.
Kropf said students were excited to see the group at the club fair in Fall 2024, and that energy kickstarted the growth of their club.
“I remember we had our first event at the club fair and so many people were so thrilled about the idea of having this club and an outlet to kind of do all these things they were maybe scared to do alone or didn’t know where to start,” she said.
The organization has become a place for individuals to connect with like-minded peers and the Tucson community.
“The fact that I’ve created a place where friendships are developing and people are becoming more confident has impacted me in ways that I didn’t even know I could feel and it’s honestly been one of the most rewarding parts of my college experience,” Davino said.
The UA organization is led by an executive board of nine students.
“We’ve curated a group of really creative and independent women as of now. But we are co-ed and hoping to continue to reach out to any person at this university that’s interested in learning more about themselves and others and come to these events with open perspectives and hopefully get something new out of it,” Davino said.
The sense of community in the organization comes from shared interests and provides many members with a new support system, she added.
“It’s been really rewarding to see, especially freshmen kind of find their place, if that isn’t Greek Life or a different club and just coming into the Wellness Society and finding friends…and coming together on the basis of wellness and wanting to do better for themselves,” said Emma Garner, member of AZ Wellness Society.
The students leading the AZ Wellness Society said they hope to increase membership and develop more events engaging in the Tucson community in the 2025-26 school year, continuing to share holistic health and wellness across the UA campus.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
