After suffering from an eating disorder at the end of her freshman year of college, Cal Poly communications junior Jamie Engelhardt decided to to start a club to help prevent others from going through the same thing.
Engelhardt took a year off so she could fully recover from anorexia nervosa and since returning to school has been in the process of forming the Coalition for Health, Wellness and Body Appreciation club.
“After going through the recovery process and now being in recovery, it’s my passion in life to help people who suffer from (anorexia nervosa) and make a difference (in the fight against the disease),” Engelhardt said.
The psychology minor wants to obtain a masters degree in marriage and family therapy in order to professionally treat eating disorders and sees the club as a step in that direction.
Engelhardt came up with the idea of starting a club after speaking with a specialist in her native San Diego while volunteering at an eating disorder prevention program at the Healthy Within Foundation, a program she also graduated from.
“I didn’t know how much support I would get on campus; I was nervous about it,” she said. “But I just decided that I needed to follow my passion and I wanted to go into this full force.”
After distributing flyers and talking to psychology classes, Engelhardt said she’s gotten “a great response” from students on campus. Over 60 people have expressed interest in being a part of the club, which will encompass a variety of topics in addition to eating disorders.
Senior psychology major Kristin Stary is one such student. Stary started restricting her diet at age 12 and suffered from anorexia nervosa throughout her teen years. Seven years later, Stary said she finally considers herself recovered. She heard about the club through an email from the psychology department.
“I got so excited because there’s nothing like that on campus and I’ve always wanted to do something like that,” Stary said. “I’ve always wanted to see someone take initiative and establish a club like that because it’s so needed.”
Stary, who also interns for the Health Center and works with various women’s programs, emailed Engelhardt and the two began talking. Both realized how important it was to have a group of people to talk to about their experiences with eating disorders. Ultimately, Stary decided to work on the club for her senior project.
“I was just like Jamie; I had a very healthy appetite growing up and I was very involved with sports,” Stary said. “It started with me thinking I needed to lose weight and I was 12 years old and that’s terrible. I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘Oh I’m going to be anorexic’ but it led me to a place where I was deathly afraid to eat.”
Engelhardt said she hopes to educate students about eating disorders, but also wants to promote self-esteem and a healthy body image. Stress management and media criticism will be discussed as well as how to approach someone who has an eating disorder. She plans to draw on her own education and experience, but wants the club to be a collaborative effort where everyone can contribute.
“The eating disorder is not just about food and exercise,” Engelhardt said. “You just lose yourself. This whole last year has been a process of rediscovery and celebrating who I am again.”
The club is still in the process of becoming official, but Engelhardt said they have more than enough members and officers.
Engelhardt and Stary said they don’t know how long the entire process will take, but they plan to have unofficial meetings with interested students to brainstorm ideas for the club.
“I just know that there is not only a need (for this club) but an interest in it,” Stary said. “I just want to be a part of the grassroots of this and I would love to see the club be very successful and maybe even spread across all campuses in California.”
Anyone interested in joining the Coalition for Health, Wellness and Body Appreciation is encouraged to contact Engelhardt at jengelha@calpoly.edu.