The Health Information Project (HIP) recently elected board members, with the final HIP Module of the year soon approaching. The program, dedicated to peer-to-peer health education on campus for the past 13 years, disseminates health knowledge to freshmen students.

“The more health information that young students are exposed to, the better; not all students take health, so it is important for students to get health information through another legitimate avenue,” HIP sponsor Anna Merrill-Arango explained.

Four prospective positions were open to applicants: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Social Media Specialist. 12 juniors applied for their desired position, and the election results were announced on Feb. 15.

“HIP is such an important program for freshmen, and the board sets the example for how all the Peer Health Educators (PHEs) should act as members of the program,” HIP vice-president Avery Simon said. “I tried my best to choose who I think honestly wants to make HIP better than the year before when going through applications.”

Following the selection process, the new board will run the last HIP Training of the year, Module 8. The PHE applications will also be released in the following weeks, allowing incoming juniors to join the program for the upcoming academic year.

“I am so excited to be elected on the HIP board as secretary,” junior Tatiana Aizemberg said. “With the opportunity to run the year’s final meeting, I hope to ensure the program’s continued success.”

This year, the HIP application process underwent significant changes. Faculty sponsors reestablished interviews — a standard part of the application before the pandemic. As the program returned to normalcy post-COVID, HIP sponsor Suzanne Landsom stressed the importance of interviewing applicants. Moving forward, interviews will also be held for students applying to be PHEs.

“It is important to re-implement interviews because you get a different perspective: you get to see [the applicant’s] personality shine and their dedication to being a board member,” Landsom said.

The current senior board members look to hand over the reins of this program to future board members and incoming PHEs committed to health awareness and access for youth.

“Although I’m sad to leave, I can’t wait to see the new board lead the last module and envision all they have planned for the upcoming year to ensure HIP’s mission continues,” Secretary Ana Catherine Guimaraes said.