F&M’s Office of Student Wellness Education and Violence Prevention (WE-VP) has gained national recognition for Know Your Power, a bystander intervention marketing campaign providing effective strategies for the prevention of sexual and relationship violence. 

A driving force behind this is a dedicated group of F&M peer health educators (PHEs), who provide health and wellness advocacy and programming on campus.

“Students often feel more comfortable asking peers a health-related question rather than approaching staff,” said Sam Thiry, director of wellness programs at F&M. “Peer health educators are able to be that bridge.” 

WE-VP at F&M provides education and resources for the campus community on topics such as sexual and relationship violence, healthy relationships, mental health, bystander intervention and sexual health. Peer health educators assist the office through education programming, social media outreach and on-campus events.

Peer health educator Maria Fernanda Araoz Pozo ’26 speaks to students about Consent is Hot, an upcoming event designed to spark open and engaging conversations. (Photo by Deb Grove)

“Peer support is one of the best ways to communicate with other students,” said McConn Honor ’26, head peer health educator. 

Honor, Hope Barfield ’27 and Maria Fernanda Araoz Pozo ’26 are among the nine peer health educators on campus this year. The trio was instrumental in promoting Know Your Power.

“They were truly the heart of this campaign,” Thiry said.

Barfield created “Lead The Way,” an annual event that challenges student participants to apply bystander intervention strategies to a wide range of scenarios using a speed-dating format. 

She wanted an activity that felt less like a formal bystander training, which can feel daunting to students.

“Why not create an event that teaches the same practices, brings forth the same type of situations, and creates some type of community engagement and fun?” Barfield said.  

F&M’s campaign efforts are being featured on Soteria Solutions platforms, a nonprofit organization that provides customized programs and training to help organizations prevent and respond to sexual and interpersonal violence and harassment. See the full case study.

While Know Your Power focuses primarily on sexual and relationship violence prevention, “the bystander strategies are very applicable to any scenario where there's a situation happening that could be harmful or has caused harm,” Thiry said. 

Below, meet a few of the peer health educators.

 Maria Fernanda Araoz Pozo ’26

• Hometown: Tarija, Bolivia
• Double major: Anthropology, earth & environmental science

What inspired you to become a peer health educator? 

"Bolivia, the place where I'm from, has a lot of domestic violence issues. Bolivia has the highest femicide rate in South America, so it's very useful to learn about sexual violence and domestic violence. I like learning how to approach these experiences in a safe environment and sharing the things that I'm learning with my home community. A lot of rural communities at home don't receive any type of prevention or education about domestic violence or sexual violence."

McConn Honor ’26

• Hometown: York, Maine
• Double major: Moral psychology, sociology
• Minor: Psychology

What inspired you to become a peer health educator? 

"I was hyperaware of mental health at a very young age and it was really hard to have that dialogue with adults because it's very intimidating. What stood out to me when I heard about this position was that it was peer-to-peer, student-to-student. I think there's something really supportive about having a student be able to talk to you with the same exact stories, and the same exact experiences. It aligned with my values and belief that peer support is one of the best ways to communicate with others. 

It’s been such a fulfilling position. My goal is to get a master’s degree in social work right after college. I think this job really gave me the chance to see that future for myself."

Hope Barfield ’27

• Hometown: Miami
• Joint major: Business, organizations & society and philosophy (social justice concentration)
  

What inspired you to become a peer health educator? 

"Violence can happen that's not so physical, but has that same amount of stress toll on an individual. 

In Miami, I was a social-emotional wellness coordinator at a nonprofit for students who come from underrepresented communities. A lot of the work I did was providing those resources – whether it was academic, mental, social or emotional wellness – and creating inclusive activities and programs for students. Peer health educating is perfect for me to continue the work I did when I was home and get a chance to volunteer and give back to the campus community."