Medical studies student puts together event at West to raise diabetes awareness

Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness hosted its first-ever Diabetes Awareness Walk on the West campus Wednesday to raise awareness about diabetes.

Jared Erwin, a senior majoring in medical studies in the College of Health Solutions and a student in Barrett, The Honors College, hosted this event as part of a class thesis. Aside from his studies, he also works as a logistics specialist at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex at the West campus.

For Erwin, this was more than just a research thesis — his goal is to get into the medical field and he wanted to use the resources he had available to put together something for the community.

“I think it is important to help everyone else in your community,” Erwin said. “A lot of people suffer silently from diabetes and (I) hope this event brings a lot of awareness to it.

“… It is a disease that often gets overlooked sometimes, just because so many people have it, and I think this is a great way to encourage others to make healthier choices.”

The event included outdoor workout activities, including a walk on a guided path, games, music and food aimed at encouraging participants to live a healthier lifestyle. There were also multiple tables by the Sun Devil Fitness Complex where students could learn more information on diabetes research, healthy recipes, and diet and exercise strategies to prevent or mitigate diabetes.

“It’s nice to get everyone on campus in one place and have a good time and get some exercise in, and it is also promoting to live healthier and doing more for yourself,” Erwin said.

The Sun Devil Fitness Complex sponsored the event.