Students who participate in Study Abroad opportunities find that the experiences shape them long after the trip is through. In this Baylor Connections, a student and professor immerse listeners in their trip to Costa Rica. Kim Smith, clinical assistant professor in Health, Human Performance and Recreation, led the Health Sciences Abroad  trip; Will Bergin, a senior Health & Sciences Studies major, participated. They provide insights from a life-changing summer trip.

The Baylor University Board of Regents features two Student Regents, Xavier Dawes and Meghan Fletcher. Student Regents, like their fellow board members, work on behalf of the best interest of Baylor University while facilitating and communicating the views and experiences of students. In this Baylor Connections, Dawes and Fletcher share more about the unique role they hold and examine the ways it shapes their time at Baylor.

Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) helps faculty become better teachers through enrichment and development opportunities. Toby Brooks joined the Baylor faculty this year as ATL director and clinical professor in HHPR. In this Baylor Connections, he unpacks insights on serving teachers and the teaching profession, and shares his path from athletic training to higher education leadership.

Gratitude—it’s a positive human emotion shown to provide health benefits. Jo-Ann Tsang, associate professor of psychology, is a social psychologist and leading researcher into gratitude. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how listen can take healthy steps to focus on gratitude in their own lives and unpacks the ways scientists study and measure gratitude across groups of people.

When Baylor’s longstanding motto was expanded to include Pro Mundo, the University heralded its goal to have a greater global impact as a Christian research university. Every department on campus contributes in some way, but for Baylor’s Center for Global Engagement, global focus is a core characteristic. In this Baylor Connections, Eduardo Contreras, Baylor’s Vice Provost for Global Engagement, shares how the division facilitates cultural exchange and opportunity.

This year marks Truett Seminary’s 30th anniversary and is a meaningful time to consider the institution’s impact. Todd Still serves as the Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean and holder of the William M. Hinson Chair of Christian Scriptures. In this Baylor Connections, he recalls Truett's founding and examines how the seminary has grown, and will continue to grow, in advancing its mission to equip individuals for ministry.

When Baylor recruited Karen Foli as the first endowed chair in the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, the University opened new possibilities to speak into mental health needs experienced in the nursing profession. Foli, a leading scholar and author on these topics, comes to Baylor from Purdue University to serve as the Louise Herrington Endowed Chair of Mental Health Nursing. In this Baylor Connections, she discusses a lifetime of addressing needs in nursing and examines her new role at Baylor.

You probably already know that Baylor hosted the nation’s first Homecoming in 1909—and remains the standard for collegiate Homecomings to this day. But there is likely much you don’t know about the roots of Homecoming, the traditions that have become Baylor icons and even the occasional shenanigans that accompany college students through the years. In this Baylor Connections, Alan Lefever—Truett professor, Baptist historian, and the author of The History of Baylor Sports—takes listeners on a tour from 1909 to the present to paint a picture of why Baylor Homecoming is so special.

Nearly 16 percent of Baylor students are the first person in their family to attend a four-year college. Baylor’s First in Line program serves these students to help them maximize their success on campus. In this Baylor Connections, Michelle Gonzalez, First in Line Program Manager, highlights the ways Baylor walks alongside first-generation students as they navigate the college years, and shares why the program was recognized among the nation’s best.

In today's political environment, numerous factors serve as obstacles to civil discourse and healthy approaches to political consumption. Thomas Hibbs, the J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus in the Honors College, has long studied the intersection of politics and philosophy, and recently wrote the column “A Guide to Political Detox” in The Dallas Morning News. In this Baylor Connections, he unpacks concepts and actionable suggestions to help listeners examine their own relationship to political news and discourse.