President’s Message: End Of Year Reflections | achs.edu

The pandemic may be separating us physically, but we have stuck together and supported each other through it all. Let’s end the year on a positive note by taking a look back at all we have accomplished! Make sure to read all the way to the end for some inspiring messages from our faculty and staff.

Highlights from 2020:

A successful fully virtual graduation ceremony!

In 2020, we celebrated our biggest graduating class yet, with 368 graduates earning 479 certificates, diplomas, and degrees. We were so looking forward to seeing everyone in person this year, and although that didn’t happen, our virtual graduation ceremony was a very successful celebration of our outstanding students! Highlights included our Keynote Speaker, ACHS PAC member Dr. Koffi Dessou, the President’s address from ACHS Founder and President Dorene Petersen, congratulations from our Program Chairs, and inspiring speeches from our graduates, including:

2020 DEAC Famous Alumni Katja Evans: Katja graduated from her Master of Science in Health and Wellness program with honors. Katja’s Capstone project focused on community initiatives that led to securing grant funding for a local elementary school to implement a Farm to School program. This program directly impacts the school’s nutrition, health curriculum, garden, and local food economy and is sure to have a significant impact on her community.
2020 DEAC Outstanding Graduate Stephanie Petersen: Stephanie earned two Masters degrees with ACHS, a Master of Science in Herbal Medicine and a Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition. As an herbalist, Licensed Nutritionist, Licensed Massage Therapist, and yoga instructor, Stephanie put her enthusiasm and passion for holistic health in motion by opening a unique business that educates and empowers community members with lifestyle diseases to reclaim their health.

Go down memory lane with our 2020 Commencement Program and recording: https://publications.achs.edu/achs-2020-commencement-program/introduction/

Making Information Even More Accessible to Students and Graduates

The new ACHS Student Information System, CampusNexus Student, launched in October 2020 and will be available to students in mid-January. The new student portal empowers students with one-stop, comprehensive access to application, academic, and financial information.

Charitable Giving & Community Support

This year, ACHS donated funds to several organizations to support community wellness and sustainability projects through our 2% Soil to Oil global education initiative and institutional giving programs, including:

ACHS Foundation, our Foundation committed to expanding awareness and access to integrative health education and global sustainability practices. We’ll be sharing more information about how to get involved in and support the ACHS Foundation in the new year.
American Botanical Council (ABC) to support their mission to promote responsible uses of herbal medicine. ACHS also provides an institutional subscription for ACHS students to access ABC’s herbal medicine research database.
Black Food Sovereignty Coalition, a member-based organization working in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and POC (BIPOC) growers, policymakers, advocates, and educators to stabilize food systems infrastructure for marginalized communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Black Girls Cook, a Baltimore-based non-profit organization with a mission to empower and inspire inner-city adolescent girls of color through culinary arts and urban farming.
College and Community Fellowship (CCF), an organization that enables women with criminal justice involvement to earn their college degrees so that they, their families, and their communities can thrive.
Kitchen Commons whose mission is to foster community projects and leaders that bring people together to share food, resources, and relationships.
Mudbone Grown, a Corbett, Oregon-based, Black-owned farm that promotes inter-generational community-based farming with a focus on sustainable environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts in communities.
Neighborhood House, a Portland-based organization that supports access to a wide range of community services.
Ocean Matters, an organization known for marine science through service.
Street Roots, an organization that publishes a weekly alternative newspaper sold by people experiencing homelessness and poverty to earn an income.

We know that there are many organizations that need help to support communities, this year more than ever. To broaden our outreach and connect with diverse organizations, ACHS also donated $50 to the charity of choice for each of our staff and faculty. We know it has been a hard year for everyone and wanted our donations to be spread throughout the community, locally, nationally, and abroad.

Staff and faculty selected the following organizations to receive their contributions. We invite you to learn more about these organizations. We’d love to hear from you also – tell us about the organizations you’d like to see your ACHS community support by replying in the comments.

7 Elements	Feed the Kitty	Oregon Food Bank
Against Malaria Foundation	Forward Assist	Oregon Humane Society
American Cancer Society	Friendly House	Oregon Saint Bernard Rescue
American Red Cross	Habitat for Humanity Oregon	Outside In
ASPCA	Hayden’s Helping Hands	p:ear
Australian Koala Foundation	Holt International	PGLAF
Bat Conservation International	Hopeworks: ending homelessness since 1985	POIC + RAHS
Birthing People Foundation	Humane Society of Central Arizona in Payson	Primavera Foundation
Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond	Les Turner ALS Foundation	Q Center
Cat Adoption Team	LoveOne	Recycling Advocates
Central Oregon LandWatch	Magicats	SCRAP PDX
Christopher House Chicago	Meals on Wheels	Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC)
Community Transitional School	Mt. Hood Camp Kiwanis	Shepherd’s Door
Equitable Giving Circle	NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc	The Trevor Project
Family Promise of Washington County	Natik	Women in Science!
Fanconi Anemia Research Fund	Neighborhood House	Wounded Warrior Project

Sustainable To Our Core

ACHS achieved #5 among Oregon Business Magazine’s Top 100 Green Workplaces. 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!

We also participated in the Plastic Free Ecochallenge, where we ranked 9th place nationally, 2nd place among schools, and 1st place in Oregon.

“At ACHS, we are continuously inspired to create positive impacts worldwide, through education and focused sustainability, with a people-centric lens on holistic health and wellness education. We’re proud to stand for transparency, accountability, and accessibility, building a legacy towards a finer future.”

-ACHS President and Founder Dorene Petersen

Sharing knowledge

In 2020, ACHS shared over 8,000 hours of free holistic health education to our community through helpful webinars on a variety of topics. You can rewatch all of them for free at any time here. We believe that knowledge should be accessible to everyone, and we look forward to offering even more free resources in 2021.

You can join our first webinar series of 2021, Healthy New Year: Foundations of Wellness, here.

Celebrating Our Students

Despite everything that has happened in the past year, our amazing students have persevered and worked hard in their studies, and we are so proud of them! Many have even opened new businesses or are planning to do so in the upcoming year. You can read our student and alumni highlights on the blog here. Our students and alumni offer some great advice on goal setting, time management, business planning, and more, so I would highly recommend reading their interviews!

Introducing the new ACHS Foundation

2020 welcomed 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 2021

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.

I asked our faculty and staff to share some of their thoughts about 2020 and what they are looking forward to in 2021. Here’s what they said:

“I interview students and alumni for the ACHS blog, and I’m really proud of how they have persevered during this pandemic. Many of them are in the process of opening new businesses and say that the extra time at home has given them more time to plan. Many also say that practicing holistic health in their daily lives has helped them endure the events of 2020.” -Gillian Turner, Social Media & PR Specialist

“Hands down the biggest win I had with a student was working with Ashley Wales for her Ecochallenge webinar. This year I worked with a ton of different presenters with different levels of experience when it comes to being live on camera. From seasoned vets such as faculty members to complete novices and everything in between. But this was Ashley’s first webinar and she seemed quite nervous and scared. I recognized it was a lot to overcome and she did a spectacular job. Huge win for her and myself and for the college in general to have given her that platform to succeed!” – Andy Pierson, Director of Online Media

“I have had several wins this term. I was able to help students stay on course with completing their course assignments when many of them felt like giving up due to the stress from the pandemic, family concerns, juggling work schedules all the while having children at home learning virtually. I have been impressed with their determination to stick with it. I was able to help more students complete the term than I expected. It was great fun to be a presenter in the Aromatherapy Department webinar series. I want to thank Amanda Lattin for inviting me to participate. Lastly, having the support of the best student services team to help me reach students who were not responsive to my weekly check-ins. This year has taught us all what we can achieve when we work together as a team (or as a family in our case) and I think whatever lies ahead for us in 2021, ACHS will be able to handle anything it throws our way.” – Margaret LaPierre, Professor

Not ready to apply?

Download our professional pathways handbook to help start your journey.

Download the Guide

Tags: end of year reflections

Dorene Petersen

Dorene is the Founding President of the American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS). She has over 50 years of clinical teaching and lecturing experience in aromatherapy and other holistic health subjects. She has presented papers on essential oils and clinical aromatherapy at the International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades Annual Conference (IFEAT) in California, USA; the Aroma Environment Association of Japan (AEAJ) in Tokyo, Japan; the Asian Aroma Ingredients Congress (AAIC) and Expo in Bali, Indonesia; the International Center of Advanced Aromatherapy (ICAA) at the WonGwang Digital University in Seoul, Korea; as well as the AAIC Expo in Kunming, Yunnan, China. Dorene is a founding member of the Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC) and served as its chair until 2023. Dorene is also involved in the distance education community and has served as a volunteer, committee member, and standards evaluator for the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). Dorene is a travel junkie, and has led ACHS Study Abroad programs to India, Indonesia, Greece, and Hawaii! Founding President Dorene Petersen holds a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology from Otago University, New Zealand, a Diploma in Natural Therapeutics from the South Pacific College of Natural Therapies in Auckland, New Zealand, and completed specialized training in Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion. She has also completed part one of the Advanced International Training Program in essential oils at Purdue University. In addition to her work as Founding President of the College, Dorene teaches courses for ACHS and leads the ACHS study abroad programs to Greece, India, and Indonesia, which explore holistic health, holistic nutrition, and therapeutic aromatherapy and distillation, among other topics.