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Many students, since grade school, have experienced parental and social pressure to earn high grades, get into the best schools, secure high-paying jobs, and start the next Apple or Google. Those expectations combined with social pressure to make new friends and develop lifelong relationships add up to stress and anxiety. The elongated tension interferes with adolescent brain development and shortens time for young adults to ponder vocations of purpose and meaning. Instead, some graduates accept jobs only until they can find something they really want to do.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that more students arrive on college campuses managing depression and anxiety. More is being done to embed health and wellbeing into key aspects of campus culture — administration, programs and services, and academic mandates.

In 2016, UBC became one of the first universities in the world to adopt the Okanagan Charter by signing a formal commitment to integrate wellbeing in everything we do. Universities are uniquely positioned to influence and inform lifelong habits about health and wellbeing. This work is done best when it is embed into, rather than separated from, everyday practice. How do we redesign the career exploration journey, from kindergarten through university, with a lens toward the health and wellbeing of those on that path?

Universities can do a lot to help. Along with the academic and social challenges inherent in the campus experience, universities have an opportunity to extend wellbeing-minded support to help students navigate the complexities of their career journey. University is a time for students to assess their self-awareness and understand how their skills, passions, and academic interests intersect with career opportunities. These types of assessments and conversations should happen in the classroom, in academic/career advising, in volunteer experiences, and in work-learn opportunities. Every experience, both inside and outside the classroom, is an opportunity to engage students in self reflection on their interests and aspirations.