“San Diego Mesa College alumnus Vasantha Eswara has turned her personal battle with breast cancer into a mission to support and empower other women as a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

Eswara achieved her certification after completing Mesa College's Health and Wellness Certificate program in 2023. At the time, she was already a pharmacist with a master’s of science degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, along with a master’s in business administration from California State University, Sacramento.

Her journey to wellness coaching began 20 years ago, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Eswara underwent chemotherapy, radiation and multiple surgeries while raising her 4-year-old daughter. She said the challenging and life-changing experience fueled her desire to support other women facing similar ordeals.

Though she had always loved helping others, it wasn’t until a friend suggested she get certified as a health and wellness coach that Eswara considered turning that passion into something more.

After extensive research, she discovered the program at Mesa College, which is approved by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. The one-year program — with tuition for California residents costing approximately $746 — offered the best value with its excellent faculty and fully online format, Eswara said. This mix of live and asynchronous classes made it easy for her to participate, despite living in the Sacramento area.

Eswara said the Mesa College faculty, especially professor Jennifer Davenport, provided practical advice and support to help jump-start students’ success, even after the program ended. Program director Kelsey Graham was also deeply invested in supporting students, Eswara said, including expanding the program to meet the needs of a diverse student population.

Mesa College now offers two Health and Wellness Coaching tracks: a 19-unit certificate of achievement program and a 10unit certificate of performance. The certificate of performance, which is launching in fall 2024, is for people already working within health- or wellness-related fields or who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a similar field.

After completing the certificate of achievement program and earning her NBC-HWC certification, Eswara founded Sierra Cancer Wellness LLC., a health-and-wellness coaching service that offers personalized coaching and group workshops to provide holistic support to women affected by breast cancer.

She is now working with cancer centers in the greater Sacramento area to support patients and survivors, and was recently appointed to the board of directors at Snowline Health.”