Training others about food allergies is a tasking burden on students with allergies

Students don’t like to actively associate themselves with their allergies.

Other students desire to create an inclusive environment, but lack allergy awareness

Orientation is an overwhelming time for all students

A university’s culture is established in the eyes of new students during orientation

Creating a college environment accepting and safe for all can start with students. Peer teaching about the symptoms of anaphylaxis is effective in removing the burden from those with allergies and creates a sense of comfort.

Peer to peer education is used to prepare the student body for worst case scenarios of anaphylaxis. Alongside an acronym for symptom identification, DISHES, students are taught the proper way to administer epinephrine. By utilizing the excitement during orientation, Spotlight can easily engage in teaching and begin to recreate a safety net students with allergies can rely upon. Information is purposefully made brief and concise knowing that students are bombarded with new knowledge, but in an effort of continuity, the acronym is reference-able—as it is easy to remember and listed on our sticker artifact—in the same way the instructions on the side of an EpiPen act as a reminder.