This article was updated at 9:51 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2020.

The Tangerine will launch a new YouTube series, Fitness with Brooke, this semester and throughout the academic year. Sophomore Brooke Riscica will host the series, which will be edited and made public by the newspaper’s editorial staff.

Content will include a range of videos and photos including affordable recipes, viable dining common options, exercise routines and tips to balance all of this with other aspects of student life.

The series is part of the paper’s initiative to amplify student voices as the series is intended to give students fitness and nutrition tips from a student’s perspective.

Nutrition and exercise have become the forefront of prospective and current student concerns at Utica College. A study from Doris Cancel Tirado and Leticia Vazquez at Western Oregon University found that 59% of college students across the United States hold food insecurities and have concern over accessing healthy and safe food options at their college cafeteria.

This same type of concern was shared by Riscica at a young age, prompting her to be an influence of change not only for herself but for those around her.

“When I was younger, I never felt truly happy with what I saw in the mirror. I wanted to make changes for both my physical and mental health, so I joined a gym on my 13th birthday,” Riscica said. “What motivates me the most is knowing that I have made a difference in just one person’s journey.”

Riscica intends to pursue law further after her time at Utica College. She also wants to become a Certified Personal Trainer, or a CPT, and open a warehouse gym down the road to continue to develop herself and others.

Riscica currently creates a lot of her content on her personal Instagram page meant to challenge stigmas and fears of going to the gym and keeping a positive diet during college. 

“I want all of my followers and anyone who watches my videos, sees my posts or watches an Instagram story to know that they are beautiful, they are unique, and they are strong,” she said. “I want to create an environment on my page that empowers people to become the happiest and healthiest version of themselves.”

Catch the new series on The Tangerine’s YouTube channel.