This summer, Fairfield University's School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) welcomed K–12 educators from across Connecticut for the second annual Educator Resiliency and Wellness Institute, a two-day professional development experience designed to support educator well-being through reflection, renewal, and resilience-building.
Held on campus and at the Downtown Store, the Institute reflected the University's Jesuit commitment to educating the whole person by focusing on the wellness of educators' minds, bodies, and spirits.
Connection, Renewal, and Shared Purpose
The program opened with a welcome breakfast and networking session, giving participants the opportunity to connect with fellow educators and practitioners while also receiving professional headshots through a LinkedIn photo booth hosted by the Fairfield University Career Center.
Dean Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD, welcomed attendees and outlined the goals of the Institute, emphasizing the importance of creating spaces where educators can reflect, recharge, and develop strategies to sustain themselves in a demanding profession.
“This year’s Educator Resiliency & Wellness Institute was especially meaningful, not only because we welcomed more educators, but because the sense of connection, renewal, and shared purpose was palpable,” said Dr. Lolis.
The first day of the Institute centered on the theme of "Reflecting and Recharging." Participants engaged in panel discussions, workshops, and interactive sessions focused on topics including stress awareness, resiliency building, co-regulation and well-being, and reflecting on the challenges and rewards of the past academic year. Educators also had the opportunity to participate in a lifestyle nutrition session and receive professional LinkedIn headshots. A highlight of the day was a Walking Examen led by John Savard, S.J., director of Campus Ministry, which encouraged participants to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with their purpose as educators.
Taking Action
The theme of the second day, “Building Resilience and Looking Ahead,” shifted the conference focus from reflection to action. Participants gathered at Fairfield University's downtown bookstore for sessions designed to help them develop practical strategies for maintaining wellness throughout the school year.
The morning began with restorative movement and therapeutic art activities. Maura Satti, MSW, LCSW, certified yoga instructor and owner of Mindful Pathways Counseling, led a gentle chair yoga session. Elizabeth Vienneau, MS, museum educator at the Fairfield University Art Museum, guided participants through a mindful watercolor painting experience.
Educators then participated in a professional sustainability workshop led by Yeddi Park, PhD, Michelle Pagnotta, LPC, and Dr. Lolis, exploring what sustainable practice looks like in the education profession and identifying ways to optimize personal and professional well-being.
The Institute concluded with a workshop titled “Personal Resilience Planning: Turbocharge Your Self-Care,” facilitated by Paul Gill Lopez, PhD. During the interactive session, participants created personalized resilience toolkits tailored to their individual needs, identifying strategies and routines to support their well-being both inside and outside the workplace.
Honoring the People and the Profession
Reflecting on the event, Dr. Lolis described the Institute as “a labor of communal and disciplinary love: a space created by our school for educators that honors both the humanity of those who teach and the profound responsibility of the profession they have chosen.”
“There is something powerful about bringing people together across schools, roles, and disciplines to restore themselves in community with one another,” said Dr. Lolis. “We cannot ask educators to continually pour into others without creating places where they, too, can be replenished, reminded of their purpose, and sustained by the strength of a community that understands their work.”
