Courtesy of The Good Life Center
A year after the Good Life Center expanded from its original Silliman College site to the Schwarzman Center, students and staff say the new space has been a success.
The Good Life Center was founded in 2018 with the goal of expanding wellness resources on campus. On October 25, 2022, the program opened its second location located on the second floor of the Schwarzman Center.
“Since opening our new location at the Schwarzman Center, we have seen substantial growth and an increase in student visits to our spaces and participation in our programs,” said Corinne Coia, Wellness Specialist Community Care Program at Yale College.
In the new hub, students can rest in the nap room or relax in the technology-free green room, which is filled with plants and natural objects. Additionally, students can socialize or work in several other rooms in the Center, play board games, or create an entry in the Community Gratitude Journal.
Coia serves as the center’s acting director while psychology professor and Silliman College principal Laurie Santos, founder of the Good Life Center, is on leave. Coia plans to strengthen the partnership between the Center and Yale College Community Care to further centralize the University’s wellness resources and provide more wellness programs to the community.
“This year we’re hosting evidence-based workshops around stress management, sleep, mindfulness, body image, yoga and more,” Coia wrote to the News. “We also create opportunities for our students to join the community through more casual programs such as our ‘Take it Easy Tuesday’ and ‘Wellness Wednesday’ events.”
Coia said the Center will also hold open house events for different population groups, such as graduate and professional students, to familiarize more people with the Center’s locations.
Ijeamaka Achebe ’25 is a frequent visitor to the Good Life Center at the Schwarzman Center and said she has never been to the original location of Silliman College.
“[Taking a nap in the Good Life Center] is tall. They give you sleeping masks and no electronic devices are allowed,” Achebe said. “Nothing distracts you.”
Some of Yale’s new students have already taken advantage of the spaces at the Good Life Center. Frank Lin ’26 has taken two naps in the Center’s Schwarzman location since the start of the semester. After Lin wakes up from his nap, he usually uses the Center as a place of study as well.
“I would prefer curtains [in the Nap room]. They don’t have curtains,” Lin said. “But it’s quite comfortable.”
Samuel Chen ’26 discovered the Good Life Center in July when he arrived on campus early and used the space to study and nap. Chen told the News that having more tables in the rooms would be nice, but he still considers the Good Life Center his favorite spot on campus.
Good Life Center locations are open to students throughout the week, and wellness workshops are offered weekly.
