WWU’s Prevention and Wellness Services to Host ‘Boys in the Boat’ Discussion Feb. 19

Catharine Vader will lead a discussion about this year’s Western Reads selection, “The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown, as it relates to the principles of positive psychology and Western’s BEST SELF program, at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, in Wilson Library 270 on Western’s campus.

The discussion is free and open to the public.

Brown’s book tells the emotionally charged story of the eight-oar crew team from the University of Washington that beat the odds and won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The BEST SELF program was developed as a method to encourage and enable individuals to achieve a deep sense of wellbeing and happiness. In her discussion, Vader, Wellness Outreach coordinator for Prevention and Wellness Services at Western, will explore how the 1936 crew team overcame tremendous obstacles in large part due to practicing BEST SELF principles such as courage, persistence, teamwork, and gratitude to push themselves and achieve more than anyone besides them thought possible.

For more information on the discussion or on Western’s BEST SELF program, contact Catharine Vader at (360) 650-7557.