Annie Cygan is a sophomore nursing student turned English major with an emphasis in secondary education. Her passions and humorous take on life are what led her to where she is now.

Cygan’s first trip to Washburn University was on her birthday: a rainy, but promising day. Washburn was an inexpensive and otherwise appealing option for Cygan.

“There are no communal bathrooms at Washburn, and I’m not about sharing a bathroom with other girls. That was honestly one thing that really hooked me on coming here.” Cygan said of her visit to Washburn.

Bods Feeding Bods is one of the campus organizations that Cygan is involved with. As a student worker there, she had the opportunity to work behind the scenes of Can Emporia this year.

“Over 80,000 cans were donated, and I help organize those in the Food Pantry.” Cygan said. “If there are too many cans for us to keep here on campus, we will deliver them to other food pantries around the Topeka area. It’s a good way to help out the community.”

Originally a nursing student, Cygan recently changed her major to suit her passions better. She found that she didn’t enjoy the mathematics aspect of nursing and was losing the interest in it that she originally had. A recent revelation inspired her to change her course of education to something she was passionate about.

“I realized that I was in nursing for the title and respect, not for the job.” Cygan spoke of her nursing aspirations. “But I can go on and on about the importance of continuing education. I thought about it, and being a teacher is something I can really do and feel passionately about.”

However, if teaching doesn’t work out, Cygan noted that her friends tell her she could always be a comedian.

“She is witty and uses her humor to brighten people’s day.” Remarks Brook Harper, sophomore criminal justice major and friend of Cygan. “She is very kind and caring and has a great personality.”

Her senses of humor and realness contribute to the lens through which she views life. These attributes have bled into Cygan’s social media presence, especially through her Instagram profile. Cygan is in the last couple months of a commitment to “365 Days of Body Positivity” through daily Instagram posts.

“I’ve struggled a lot with loving my body and now that I finally do after years of self-hate, I want to inspire other people to love their body too because life it too short to be hard on yourself.” Cygan’s post from day one of her 365 days gives insight into Cygan’s desire to help others by sharing her newly-found confidence. You can follow her journey @anniecygan on Instagram.