The Institute for Holistic Health Studies (IHHS) encourages all students to take Holistic Health classes to earn a minor, GE Segment II & III credit or a Holistic Health Studies Certificate. Students can also work with faculty in research, as teaching assistants, in community service work or in producing holistic health events on campus.
Our students come from all of the colleges on campus. This diversity of student backgrounds adds to the rich conversations in each of our Holistic Health classes — classes that teach about self-healing, liberation and finding your unique place in the world. Holistic Health education also teaches how each of us can become courageous change-makers…. working for a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable world for all. We are honored to work with the inspired and motivated students who come through our program. Here is a snapshot of a few of them who embody the IHHS motto of being Awake-Engaged-Alive.
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Hear from the Voices of IHHS
Student Testimonials
Alaysia Pearce
I am a person always on the go. I always have something to do, am super productive, and I have a difficult time managing my stress. The Mind-Body Healing in Tibetan Culture class has grounded me a lot more. The fact that we do a meditation when we first come into class — and feel relaxed before we learn — is what enhances my experience of learning in the course.
Megan Lachelli
I have a major in Health Education and a minor in Holistic Health Studies. Shortly after completing the program, I began an internship at UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. At the Osher Center, I truly saw what I learned in my Holistic Health classes come into action. I am currently working as a credential coordinator for a medical staffing agency.
I consider myself very fortunate for enrolling into the Holistic Health program because it has not only benefited my career, but more so my own health. This program truly opened my eyes as I learned the science behind historical holistic remedies that have been known to cure cancer, reverse life-threatening allergies, cure chronic pain, cure insomnia and much more. The holistic health program is truly a hands-on experience throughout the entire course roadmap. Some of my most memorable in class experiences were practicing mindfulness, becoming a massage therapist, in-class meditations and participating in biofeedback experiments. My favorite course in this major was the Western perspectives course, because every homework assignment was to practice and log holistic practices that we had just learned about in lecture. The program personally helped me uncover the underlying problems of my chronic neck pain, and helped me make the correct lifestyle adjustments to where I no longer have chronic pain.
Kailah Prince
I learned so much about the importance of meditation, and this is something I use to this day when I feel stressed. Since I graduated, I am now a social worker, and I work with people who experience mental illness. I’ve educated my own clients on the importance of mediation. It’s worked for them, I’ve seen it. If you can, I definitely recommend taking an HH course.
We Recognize Our Students
Institute for Holistic Health Studies (IHHS) offers two undergraduate annual awards, one for academic achievement and the other for university/community service. If you are interested in being considered for either award please send information, based on the criteria for the award, in a 1-2 page letter to the director of IHHS. For best consideration send the letter about 8 weeks before the end of spring semester. We encourage our students to consider applying as this is a recognition of your good works, and a nice addition to your resume as you prepare to enter the job market or graduate school.
George S. Araki, Ph.D., 1932-2006, founded IHHS in 1976. George received his doctorate in biological sciences from Stanford University doing work in ecological physiology. He was a visionary leader, who touched many people with his integrative thinking and his caring ways. Every year, since his retirement in 1999, IHHS faculty have selected a graduating senior who reflects the vision of our program.
The criteria for consideration of this award:
- Graduating the year of the award
- Academic achievement with minimum GPA of 3.5 overall and in HHS courses
- Involvement with IHHS program including: minor in HHS, participation in the Learning Center, research assistant or teaching assistant collaboration with HHS faculty member
- Demonstrated application of a holistic perspective in scholarship, career or career vision or community service
- Future education/career intentions
- Faculty recommendations
Each year we honor one student with a University & Community Service Award. This award is given to a graduating undergraduate student who has exemplified holistic health competencies and vision in the University and community service they have performed, and the work they intend to do in the future.
The criteria for consideration of this award:
- Graduating the year of the award
- Academic achievement with minimum GPA of 3.00 overall and in HHS courses
- Involvement with IHHS program, such as minor in HHS, participation in the Learning Center, research assistant, or teaching assistant with HHS faculty member
- Demonstrated application of a holistic perspective in university and community leadership and service
- Future education/career intentions
- Faculty recommendations
Student Awardees
2021 George S. Araki Academic Achievement Awardee
Karina Martinez
Being a part of the Holistic Health program improved my mental and physical well-being. I learned ways to lower anxiety, boost motivation, and improve my overall health in a completely natural way.
Being a part of the Holistic Health program improved my mental and physical well-being. I learned ways to lower anxiety, boost motivation and improve my overall health in a completely natural way. Through mental imagery practices, diet changes, internal dialogue changes and much more, my life has positively improved. I will always be grateful for the Holistic Health faculty.
2018 Community Service Awardee
Amber Yang
When I joined the Holistic Health program, I was a disengaged millennial pursuing my B.A. in Psychology. I knew more about Freud and Maslow than I did about my own life and purpose. The Holistic Health program changed everything I knew about education ...
moving beyond multiple-choice questions and deadening essay responses — to experiential learning that transformed my values. I learned to cultivate meaningful life-skills, and discover natural and powerful ways to optimize my health.
Paradoxically, as I became a healthier person, I became less interested in solely enhancing my individual health and well-being. The Holistic Health program catalyzed in me a deep love for humanity and collective well-being — from building my leadership and interpersonal skills; to organizing teach-ins and events on important social and environmental issues; to thinking holistically about global challenges through the lens of critical media literacy and systems thinking; to promoting healthy activism and game-changing community solutions that remind us of the greater good and what’s possible.
It was the Holistic Health program that revealed my potential to be a creative and powerful social change agent. Since graduating, I’ve taught yoga at an after-school elementary school program and taught social-emotional education and mindfulness to youth in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in San Francisco. I then became the Restorative Justice and Wellness Coordinator for a Marin County high school where I work to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, mentor and advocate for at-risk youth, facilitate community building and conflict resolution circles, and create weekly wellness community announcements that go out to the whole campus. I also completed a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and Change, and now offer consulting to groups and organizations who seek collaborative and innovative ways of working together across shared interests and differences.
With the gift of self-transformation and empowerment the Holistic Health program has given me, I continue to cultivate my passion and capacity for being an agent of personal and cultural healing and service to the world.
2019 George S. Araki Academic Achievement Awardee
Sonia Chen
The Holistic Health Studies program deeply influenced the person that I am today. The diverse courses open new perspectives and worlds for me to explore and sparked my interest in ancient knowledge and more holistic ways to reconnect with Mother Nature.
The Holistic Health Studies Program at San Francisco State University deeply influenced the person that I am today. The diverse courses taught by the faculty members open new perspectives and worlds for me to explore. I learned about the multiple layers of the self (mind, body and soul/spirit) and the ways to heal through breath work, meditation, and movement. This program sparked my interest in ancient knowledge and more holistic ways to reconnect with Mother Nature.
I am working as a preschool teacher at the YMCA and educating children through the Reggio Emilia Approach. I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training at Purusha Yoga and is currently working toward my 300 hour yoga teacher training with Full Circle Yoga. I hope to travel the world and spread the teachings of yoga. As a student of California State University, Northridge, I am currently working toward my Master's Degree in Humanities in hopes of educating future generations.
2018 George S. Araki Academic Achievement Awardee
Lauren Mason
There truly are no words to effectively depict the multitude of ways the Holistic Health program impacted my life personally and professionally. Not only did I gain a wealth of knowledge about mental, physical and spiritual wellness by minoring in HH, I also fell in love with the integrative perspective.
Lauren Mason graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology, a minor in Holistic Health, and she received the George S. Araki Academic Achievement Award. She is currently in a Ph.D. program in Experimental Psychology at Tufts University, where she explores the relationship between spatial cognition, metacognitive and self-regulatory strategies, and performance optimization. In the future, she looks forward to conducting research which advances the field and concurrently provides positive impacts for society.
“There truly are no words to effectively depict the multitude of ways the Holistic Health program impacted my life personally and professionally. I pursued study in Holistic Health during my undergraduate career because I felt the discussion on brain health was missing in my psychology education. Not only did I gain a wealth of knowledge about mental, physical and spiritual wellness by minoring in HH, I also fell in love with the integrative perspective and interdisciplinary collaboration present in this program. The friends and mentors I met helped me grow as a researcher, scholar, and individual. I am immensely grateful for the opportunities and lessons I gained from this community, as I would not be on the path I am today without them.”