Dani Doyle, director of the THRIVE Living Learning Community (LLC), is a Hoosier through and through. After graduating from IU Bloomington with her Bachelor of Arts in 2009, Doyle attained her M.P.H. in physical activity from our school in 2022. Shortly thereafter, Doyle took the reins of the then-called IU School of Public Health Living Learning Community, rebranding it as THRIVE LLC.
"The new name reflects my goals—I want all my students to thrive, and I want for all of them to know what I wish I had known at 18 on how to be a functional adult," shares Doyle. "I tell parents to think of my role as more of a safety net…I have the absolute joy of seeing them in our volunteer opportunities, but I also see them around campus and in class, and so I have eyes on them both at 'work' and at 'home.'"
Doyle has 33 undergraduates enrolled in the LLC this academic year, all living two floors above her office in Read Hall. With a rebranded thematic as well as academic focus on holistic health and the eight dimensions of wellbeing, Doyle says her current number is ideal because "it is big enough so students aren’t stuck with the same group all the time but not so big that we lose that sense of community."
Doyle says being mindful of student numbers is key because necessary discussions on the different facets of wellness revolve around sensitive topics—such as emotional intelligence and socio-economic status—that students may not be comfortable sharing in a larger group setting.
"To have a good class discussion involves sharing a piece of your life experience, and that can be hard in a big class," says Doyle. "I did not do well my first semester of college, and it is easy to fall between the cracks when you are in a lecture hall taking your 'gen eds' in a room with 200 other students and you are just another face."
A history rooted in wellness
Associate Professor Bill Ramos in the Department of Health & Wellness Design shares that he became involved with the LLC when it was first housed in Briscoe Quadrangle and was more focused on physical wellness as a Fitness Wellness Community (FWC). He helped develop course R142 (Living Well), which is still required for THRIVE students and available to all IU undergrads for general education credit.
"The course is designed to give students a first look at the scope of wellness in their life as well as discuss career paths that connect to those within SPH-B," says Ramos. "THRIVE LLC has gone through several evolutions but remains a gem for the school as an incredible service offered to undergraduate students."
He adds that September 2012—when the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) was officially re-named the School of Public Health—was the prime opportunity to re-create the LLC to become "our showpiece and a mechanism to make a deeper connection to SPH-B students and students across campus."
Empowering our students
Doyle says her combined responsibilities as both director and instructor allow her the creative freedom to mold and modify the program to best suit student needs. One of the many things Doyle has accomplished in the last two years is creating a student-led LLC leadership council, as well as developing a peer mentorship program that allows sophomores (and even juniors and seniors, if they so choose) to help walk freshmen through the THRIVE program.
Annie Isenburg and Maggie Casey served as Leadership Council Members during their freshman year with THRIVE in 2022. They returned to serve as peer mentors in their sophomore year and agree that being a part of the decision-making process to help make THRIVE what it is today has been hugely satisfying.
"As the name suggests, you really do learn how to thrive, in your relationships, in your strengths, and as an adult with your training wheels on," shares Isenburg, who is studying nursing and Spanish. “This program and Dani support and help you find the best in yourself and the steps to take towards that.”
"You really do learn how to thrive, in your relationships, in your strengths, and as an adult with your training wheels on." –Annie Isenburg
Casey, a liberal studies major with plans to attend nursing school after graduation, says she was very anxious about her ability to make friends while balancing her goals of excelling academically and giving back to the community. Being part of THRIVE allowed her to realize all those achievements.
"This year, all the people I am living with I met at LLC," says Casey. "You create relationships with people you never think you would have."
Casey points to the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break Trip as a lasting takeaway that helped the group grow closer as a community, as well as the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment that helped solidify her goals of one day becoming a nurse.
The peer mentoring program is being refined, and both Isenburg and Casey have agreed to continue to support THRIVE for the foreseeable future. As for who the program is open to, Doyle says if there is space available—and the interested person does not mind living with mostly freshmen—she will consider older undergraduates as well.
"I have a junior in the program and a few sophomores because everyone approaches this at a different life stage," says Doyle. "THRIVE should be open and available to all those who need this little bit of reassurance and guidance. They all have it within them to do what they need to do; people just get to that point at different life stages."
For more information, visit go.iu.edu/7CJD.