UndefeatED is an up-and-coming club focusing on spreading awareness about eating disorders after the Buccino Leadership Institute sparked the initiative.
As of right now, UndefeatED is in the process of applying to become an official campus-wide club, but its goal is to be established by the spring semester.
Julia Haines, a senior entrepreneurship and accounting major, pursuing a dual degree for a master's in finance, created the initiative. She said she chose the students she wanted to help her with the project and presented it to the Buccino Leadership Institute.
“Our biggest goal is to spread awareness and to create a community where we have educated people so that change the trajectory of the next generation in body image, body dysmorphia, eating disorder and disordered eating,” Haines said. “[We want to] create a community where people feel safe, comforted and valued.”
Haines is the president of UndefeatED, and she said she wants to empower people not to feel isolated because of the lack of conversation about eating disorders.
“It has honestly been the most rewarding experience that I have ever been involved in,” Haines said. “I feel like I am finally using my experiences to relate and to help other people.”
Rebecca Ghatan, a senior graphic design and advertising major, was one of the original team members of Haines’ interdisciplinary team, under the Buccino Leadership Institute.
“The reason why I stayed is because I have grown to be more passionate about the topic,” Ghatan said. “I was one of the people who didn’t know too much about it, and I didn’t know how in-depth it was. Having learned so much about it, it allowed me to notice the little things that people say or do.”
Ghatan said she works on the design side of the club. She created the logo, runs the social media, and helps with marketing to the target audience of students. She also said they hope to partner with KNOW MORE and Dare to Care.
“Eating disorder has such a big connection with mental health that we feel it is the best way to spread our message, especially because Dare to Care and KNOW MORE have so many resources that we can use and work with,” Ghatan said.
Miranda Mazzella, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship major with an Italian studies minor, is the vice president for UndefeatED and a member of the SHU dance team. She said there is a lot of emphasis on body image in sports, especially in dance.
“I was able to put my tough experiences to use and be someone that has gone through a sort of eating [disorder] and to connect a personal aspect to it,” Mazzella said. “[I can] be someone who has learned a lot in my several now years of recovery to help other people.”
When UndefeatED becomes an official club, they plan to host speaker events, panels with individuals who have had experiences with eating disorders, and workshops, beginning in the fall of 2025.
“Everybody has an idea of what eating disorders are whether that’s someone who is [eating] too much, feeling guilty about it, and having their ways to undo it; obviously for each person, it is very different,” Ghatan said. “Someone who is not eating enough based on their body dysmorphia and everywhere in-between. It is a spectrum.”
Haines, Mazzella, and Ghatan stuck with the cause during its development year, prepping the initiative for the transition they are making to form an official club on campus for all students to engage in conversations about eating disorders.
“You cannot look at someone and know they have an eating disorder,” Haines said. “It is all mentality, and it doesn’t have a restriction on ages from the youngest to the oldest.”
In the long run, UndefeatED plans to do motivational speaking at middle and high schools.
“We want to start young so that we really can help the generation that’s going to be growing up,” Haines said.
UndefeatED held tablings to gauge the interest of the student body where they included a form for students to fill out if they would like to be a part of the executive board. Last week, Ghatan, Haines, and Mazzella met up with the new board members.
“We are hitting the ground running,” Ghatan said.
From eight members to three to now 12 executive board members, the second step in UndefeatED’s pursuit is pitching the club to the Student Government Association (SGA) for official recognition.
“I always say to everyone: ‘Just be kind,’” Haines said. “You never know what someone is going through, and it is so much deeper than surface level that sometimes it’s undetectable.”
UndefeatED will co-host with The Women’s Network for one of their events in October and release more podcast episodes on the Seton Hall Undergraduate Leaders Podcast. Ghatan said “Here for You,” the clothing brand focusing on mental health, reached out to UndefeatED to partner with them in the future.
For more information on UndefeatED’s upcoming events, check out their Instagram page, @undefeated_shu.
For access to counseling for eating disorders on campus, the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available for all students. More information about eating disorders and the national hotline can be found on the National Eating Disorders Association website.
Calla Patino is the copy editor for the Setonian’s Campus Life section. She can be reached at calla.patino@student.shu.edu.
