I hope you celebrated the start of 2020 and the new decade with family and friends while taking time to rest and rejuvenate! As the new year begins, I want to take the opportunity to celebrate all we have achieved together at ACHS in 2019 and what we're looking forward to in 2020.
Highlights from our 2019 Achievements:
2019 Graduation - An inspiring success!
Thanks to our 2019 graduates, ACHS hosted our best graduation ceremony yet at the World Forestry Center in Portland. Twenty graduates from as far as Iceland and Florida joined us to celebrate with many more graduates joining online via live stream.
ACHS Graduates at the World Forestry Center in June 2019 - Portland, Oregon
In 2019, we celebrated 282 graduates who earned 360 certificates, diplomas, and degrees and are well on their way to making a difference in the communities they serve, like Associate of Applied Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine graduate Nona Kindsvater.
Nona, whose practice Health Thyme Wellness focuses on support and research for those suffering from autoimmune conditions, creates individualized programs for each person depending on the support they need. Her program at Health Thyme is “for the hopeless and helpless,” she says, adding, "We bridge ancient wisdom with scientific studies. Everything we do is science-based." Visit http://healththymewellness.com/ to learn more about Nona's work.
Keep an eye on the ACHS blog for an interview with Nona later this month. Do you have alumni news to share? Share your success with us online here.
A New Way to Access Health & Wellness Continuing Education
ACHS launched a new and improved continuing education (CE) platform providing the public, students, and graduates with on-demand access to online continuing education in your favorite topics with free access for students and alumni. Visit learn.achs.edu, and let me know if you need an access code to take advantage of these courses.
Sharing Wellness Education
With our new learn.achs.edu CE platform, we were able to share complimentary access to important health and wellness information with Veterans Resource Centers across the U.S. and internationally as well as with large employers committed to employee wellness like the Port of Portland. If you’d like to bring this opportunity to your employer, please submit our corporate training form for access information online here.
Giving Back in 2019
We continued to support the women-owned Laxmi Leasehold in Nepal by providing funds in partnership with Lebermuth Company that contributed to a pump to mechanize bringing water up from the 95-foot well ACHS funded in 2018. ACHS donates 2% of Apothecary Shoppe sales to support global soil to oil initiatives such as this one, and I am so proud of how truly life-changing these contributions have been for this farming community. Learn more about the well ACHS supported and look for an update on the pump in action early this year.
Pictured: Set up of new well pump.
Celebrating Sustainability and Workplace Practices
ACHS achieved #3 among Oregon Business Magazine's Top 100 Green Workplaces and #33 among Top 100 Best Places to work. We couldn't do what we do without the incredible hard work and commitment of our staff and faculty, including their daily efforts to make ACHS not just a great place to study but also a great place to work!
Now, what are we looking forward to in 2020?
Celebrating Student Success
Making Information Even More Accessible to Students and Graduates
The new ACHS Student Information System, CampusNexus Student, is expected to launch mid-2020 and revolutionize our student services by empowering students with one-stop, comprehensive access to application, academic, and financial information.
Introducing the new ACHS Foundation
2020 welcomes the new American College of Healthcare Sciences Foundation. The Foundation’s purpose is to expand awareness and access to integrative health education and global sustainability practices. Our goal is to empower people to lead positive lives while encouraging individuals to engage in teaching, advocacy, and service. Look for more information, including ways to get involved in early 2020.
All of you, including our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and our partners are what make ACHS a leading accredited integrative health and wellness institution committed to promoting sustainability, environmental stewardship, and wellness.
Achieving Together
As the new year begins, and you experience new opportunities, face new challenges, and work to meet new deadlines and reach new heights, remember to live your passion, have confidence in all you’ve learned, and gain inspiration from all you've already achieved.
Each week at ACHS, we celebrate our achievements and remind ourselves that no achievement is too small. So whether your achievement is that you had a win at work, submitted a research paper, or managed to make a healthy dinner, celebrate, and keep moving forward in 2020!
What are you looking forward to this year? We'd love to hear how ACHS can help you achieve your goals this year. We are all here to support each other :) Make 2020 your best year yet!
