Leah Berkenwald ’07 always knew she wanted to come back to Brandeis after she graduated. “I love Brandeis,” Berkenwald said in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. “I can’t imagine my life not having had my Brandeis experience.”
And almost a decade after graduating, she is back on campus as the Wellness Promotion Program Manager for Health and Wellness Promotion (HAWP). HAWP “coordinate[s] campus-wide health and wellness efforts through evidence-based promotion and prevention strategies, such as educational programs and events, health information and resources and peer educators,” according to the HAWP website.
While at Brandeis, Berkenwald studied American Studies with a journalism minor. Following graduation, she got her masters in American Studies, thinking that she was going to get her Ph.D. and become a professor. Following the completion of her masters, however, Berkenwald realized that it was not the right fit for her. “I needed to do some exploring to decide what I really wanted to do,” she explained.
During this time, Berkenwald worked at a non-profit organization doing communications work, and she realized it was something she really enjoyed. However, she wanted to do communications work in something that she was passionate about: health and wellness.
After realizing she could study both, Berkenwald went back to school and received another masters degree in health communication in 2012 from a joint program at Emerson College in collaboration with the Tufts University School of Medicine.
She explained that for her final practicum at the end of her program, Berkenwald was required to design a communication plan for a client. Through her project, Berkenwald helped to design a body positivity campaign for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“This made me remember that college health was an option” and “that I wanted to go into college health,” she told The Hoot.
After finishing her masters degree, Berkenwald went to work at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. In spring 2018, she learned that there was a full time position opening at Brandeis in regards to a health and wellness program. And after applying, in July 2018, Berkenwald started her position at her alma mater.
“After working in college health for seven years, I learned so much about how to support student wellness, student well-being, happiness and health,” she told The Hoot. Through the lessons she learned from her studies and working at other institutions, Berkenwald hoped to use her knowledge base back at Brandeis.
“I’ve just been waiting for a chance to take all that I’ve learned and give it back to Brandeis, which feels like my home,” she said in an interview. During her time as an undergraduate at Brandeis, Berkenwald told The Hoot that she was also a part of Student Sexuality Information Services (SSIS). Berkenwald added that she works alongside SSIS through HAWP.
“I still feel very connected to the community,” she told The Hoot. “I feel like Brandeis has given me so much, and I’m just excited to be in a position to give back, and I’m surprised everyday by how much Brandeis still feels like home.”
