Drawing from her personal struggles with anxiety and depression, Joanne Wang ’24 has dedicated much of her undergraduate journey to helping peers find wellbeing through the outdoors and physical movement. As a graduating senior, her hope is to leave a legacy at Cornell for current and future students to benefit from her experience with the healing power of the outdoors.

Wang is currently working on the proposal of a "Mind, Body, and Nature" health resource, which aims to integrate Cornell Outdoor Education activities with Cornell Health mental health programming. The concept would intentionally connect each physical activity or session, such as outdoor yoga, garden meditation, nature walks, and trail running, to a wellness practice, or skill, – combining the healing properties of nature and movement with stress reduction and wellbeing practices. 

“I want to help Cornell students prioritize their mental wellbeing and offer this program as an avenue within that process of healing,” Wang said. “My hope is that it will be able to provide a toolbox of wellness and health resources for instructors to incorporate into these outdoor activities.” 

Struggling with her mental health in high school, which was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and her parents' divorce, Wang joined a friend on a trail run during the midst of lockdowns. Simultaneously physically exhausted and mentally rejuvenated after the run, Wang remembers feeling something so healing about being surrounded by trees, hearing birds chirping, and the warm sun on her face.

“My friend and I consistently ran together almost every day during the pandemic, and it did wonders for my mental and physical health,” she said. “Being outdoors, taking in all the beauty that surrounded me, and seeing how much the world has to offer helped me reframe my mental mindset and rationally work through the mental obstacles I faced, knowing that, in the grand scheme of life, they were not as insurmountable as I had thought.” 

Arriving at Cornell, she was committed to continuing to pursue her newfound passion for running. Wang enrolled in Cornell Outdoor Education's Trail Running PE course, which quickly became her sanctuary.

“Often during our runs, the instructors would tell us to pause, close our eyes, take deep breaths, and just listen,” Wang said. “Our runs were a safe and peaceful oasis where we were able to meaningfully connect with our inner selves and each other – all while moving our bodies.”

Wang sought to share the healing benefits of movement in nature with her peers. She undertook various leadership roles on campus, including becoming an instructor with Physical Education’s running course, a Cornell Outdoor Education student advisor to the COE board, and co-president of the Cornell Running Club. Wang has also taken part in Cornell community events in an effort to share her experiences with both Cornell leadership and student peers, participating in a Trustee Council Annual Meeting roundtable and presenting a Soup & Hope talk.

Working alongside Cornell Outdoor Education and Cornell Health to bring her “Mind, Body, and Nature” program vision to fruition, Wang is also partnering with Nature Rx @ Cornell, an initiative that prescribes to the evidence-based benefits of nature’s impact student’s overall health and well-being.  Wang hopes to reach as many like-minded campus groups and resources as possible and launch a pilot program in the fall. 

“All of my positions here at Cornell come back to my deeply held belief that outdoor movement has extremely powerful healing capabilities, both physically and mentally,” Wang said. “Knowing that I’m in positions to share this healing power with my peers has given me the greatest sense of purpose and belonging during my time at Cornell.”