By Avery Ballmann | Staff Writer
Students may know Jacksonville, Fla., freshman Hope Daughtry from her various organizations and interests. From barre and toning classes for FitWell, to Baylor and Beyond Living and Learning Center events, Highland Baptist Church, chair stretching on Fountain Mall, events with Chi Omega and student government meetings, Daughtry does it all. Incoming freshmen will also see her in their dorm as a community leader.
Daughtry said she “likes to be on her toes,” and values community, which is the common denominator in all the organizations she is involved in.
Van Davis, assistant director of wellness and FitWell trainer, is Daughtry’s boss and said she loves her optimistic mindset.
“What makes Hope great is that she is proactive,” Davis said. “If you look at what Hope does day to day, you would never know that she is a freshman – that’s what really stands out to me.”
This is Daughtry’s second semester working for FitWell; Her mom owns a gym in Jacksonville and encouraged Daughtry to become an instructor. When she emailed Davis about the position, she wasn’t expecting to get the job, but she said she now views it as the exact right moment.
As a barre and toning instructor, Daughtry vocalizes safety cues throughout the class and has workouts pertaining to her genre of exercise. To make the class more interesting, she plays upbeat music, has theme nights such as “Bieber Fever” and promotes her participants to give feedback so she can adjust her class in a way that benefits them.
Keller freshman Melody Golbarani attended Daughtry’s barre and toning class last semester.
“Hope is easily one of the most personable, friendly people ever,” Golbarani said. “She instantly became a friend of mine and her kindness and high energy makes class so much fun.”
To promote community and wellness outside of the classroom, Daughtry invites her students to dinner after their workout is over.
“Group fitness is all about doing exercises with people and doing life with people,” Daughtry said. “Encouraging each other with energy.”
Daughtry is excited about the 2022 FitWell Expo Saturday. She wants to promote student wellness because she sees that students often “forget to focus on themselves.”
Another way Daughtry gets involved in the community is being part of Baylor and Beyond Chinese Neighborhood. She has spoken Chinese for five years, is majoring in linguistics and has a minor in Chinese and Spanish. The group meets once a month and experiences cultural enrichment by practicing Chinese, speaking to native speakers, going to world markets and celebrating festivals. Daughtry said cross-cultural connections are important because she likes to connect with various types of people.
On paper, Daughtry seems like she has it all together but according to her, she is “the most forgetful person on the planet.” She uses her planner, notes app, alarms or even Snapchat memories to remind her of upcoming events.
Daughtry has created a lifestyle account on Instagram where she is able to post things in her downtime and is able to romanticize the little things in her life, even if it’s just her workouts, hanging out with friends or flowers from her boyfriend.
“None of the bad stuff is shown on social media, but obviously bad stuff happens to me,” Daughtry said. “I think it’s important to take your gaze off of others and focus on your own accomplishments and everything that you are capable of.”
Attitude and ambition are a driving force in Daughtry’s life. Instead of dreading work, she sees it as a “privilege” to be able to execute her multiple jobs.
“It all goes back to the attitude and romanticizing your own life,” Daughtry said. “You’re probably taking on more than you think. With your social life, your attitudes, how interesting you are as a person, maybe my life isn’t as interesting and it’s me making a fun game out of it.”
