Tools for Holistic Well-Being

Trinity University currently offers five graduate programs, including a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA), where students get the chance to study at an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business school. Students who receive their MSA at Trinity have a 100% job placement for those seeking employment and an 85% first-time CPA pass rate.

The MSA program is built to provide students with the technical, theoretical, and interpersonal skills required for professional accountants. While the students take mostly traditional accounting classes, the program seeks to nurture all aspects of the student. As a way to address students' well-being, the program includes a course called "Tools for Holistic Well-Being," taught by the MSA program director Julie Persellin, Ph.D., now in its third year as a mandatory part of the curriculum.

The course seeks to give students the skills they need for academic and professional success, as well as skills that help them enhance their personal well-being, according to Persellin. This semester, the students have had a variety of topics and experiences with various alum and professors at Trinity, including a personal finance session with Siro Gutierrez '05, MBA, an alum and senior vice president at Bank of America; a yoga session with Trinity instructor Colleen Hill; a team building escape room exercise planned by Trinity accounting professor Stephen Stewart, Ph.D.; a pottery class with Trinity art professor Kate Ritson, MFA, and many more.

Helen Liang '23, M'24 says the class is a great opportunity to explore new ways to handle stress and other fun activities without a monetary barrier and fear of doing the activity alone. Liang expressed that despite lacking prior practice in yoga, she still had a very relaxing experience. Engaging in breathing exercises and meditation routines and being surrounded by nature-inspired background music, she felt a significant reduction in stress.

Additionally, Liang said the escape room exercise taught her more about how to strategize, think outside of the box, work under a time limit, and she learned more about herself and her peers. She says these lessons are very important for her work as an auditor, which is very team-oriented. Each activity within the course not only introduces students to potential new hobbies but also teaches them small habits and techniques essential for healthy well-being beyond graduation.

Persellin believes teaching students how to balance their well-being with their professional lives is essential. She says she developed the course so that students would have the necessary experiences to maintain their well-being and professional success long after they leave Trinity. She considers this balance between a healthy personal and professional life an indispensable part of a liberal arts education in the 21st century.

The above photos were taken during art professor Kate Ritson's pottery class for the MSA students in accounting professor Julie Persellin's "Tools for Holistic Well-Being" course.