Celes Buffard ’27 has been working for years to blend her passion for helping people with her knack for entrepreneurship.

That work is coming to fruition in her business, , an app that aims to provide users with a safe space to holistically build financial literacy and wealth, while helping them heal their relationship to money.

Buffard, a student in the majoring in information management and technology, has spent more than a year reworking the concept of her business through repeated rounds of customer discovery, mentorship and pitch competitions. She won first place and $10,000 in the Learn, Work and Live category of the in April for her venture, then called SecondWave. It’s since been rebranded as Franchette and shifted from an initial focus on real estate investment access to broader financial well-being and emotional health.

Buffard says the April win gave her a boost of confidence about the path she is on. From her own family’s experiences, she knows that emotions and mental health are tied closely to the way people interact with money.

“I want a platform that actually helps people at the root of it, instead of putting a band aid over the problem,” she says.

From Real Estate Investing to Financial Well-Being

Buffard’s path to Franchette started long before she arrived at Syracuse. In high school, she helped her father in real estate during difficult times, work that brought her into contact with people in financial distress.

“I understood what it means to deal with people that are under financial stress and financial panic,” she says.

She developed several ventures at Syracuse, including a robotics program designed to bring STEM education to underfunded high schools, before landing on her current focus. Another was an entrepreneurship program for at-risk high schoolers.

Working on customer discovery for the concepts taught her the same lesson: a good idea only matters if the market wants it.

Her inspiration for Franchette came during an extended hospital stay last fall, when Buffard was sidelined for much of the semester. She began sketching out an idea to give everyday people access to real estate investing, which became SecondWave.

But as she pushed the concept through multiple rounds of customer discovery, Buffard found that a recurring theme kept surfacing. The pressing issue for most wasn’t a lack of investment opportunities. Instead, they were held back by a financial literacy gap, and beneath that, an emotional relationship to managing their money.

“I was initially more focused on financial literacy and getting people access to capital through alternate investments and other ways to build and grow wealth through passive income,” Buffard says. “But I found the emotional piece is probably the biggest part of it all, and that emotions are so tied to people’s financial behaviors.”

That insight reshaped SecondWave into what Buffard calls a “learn, practice, act” framework with Franchette. Users first learn the financial concepts relevant to their goals, then practice with real numbers, then take action. The idea is to direct them to partnerships and support from vetted, non-predatory community organizations. The goal is walking alongside someone from a shaky weekly budget to eventual access to wealth-building tools or steps, like buying a home.

The Meaning Behind ‘Franchette’

The name Franchette comes from Buffard’s grandmother. “Franchette” loosely translates to “free,” but Buffard says the name’s meaning is just one reason why she chose it for her app. It also reflects who her grandmother has been in her life: a steady, judgment-free presence who is always honest with her.

“I built Franchette to be the digital embodiment of my Nana’s love, grace and honesty,” she says.

Buffard says the goal is for Franchette to avoid shame-based alerts or lectures about spending. Instead, it will give users clear, unbiased financial information, without adding to the stress that often causes people to avoid their finances altogether.

Her family’s own struggles shaped her view that financial stress is as much an emotional issue as a question of having access to the right tools.

“I’ve seen what financial stress can do to people on the worst end of it,” she says. “Our education gap is only going to widen over time, our wealth gap is only going to widen over time, and I personally don’t feel like we’re doing enough to tackle those issues.”

She credits her iSchool coursework, particularly a database class, with giving her enough technical background to work confidently with engineers for her business, even though coding isn’t her strength.

Buffard is aiming to launch her MVP—minimum viable project—for Franchette by the end of summer, a milestone that will bring the app from pitch deck to something people can use.

Her advice to fellow students sitting on an idea is to do the customer discovery work, even when it’s uncomfortable and take honest feedback from mentors willing to say when something isn’t working.

“Just because the idea doesn’t work now doesn’t mean that it will never work,” she says. “But if you really want it, you have to do the customer discovery to get to that point.”

The , in partnership with CEO Maggie Mortali from the  New York City and CEO Marco Damiani from the , examined the development of digital Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs) in New York state.

PADs are legal documents that promote individual rights and self-determination by allowing individuals to specify their treatment and support preferences in advance of a mental health crisis. The convening on May 12 explored how digital PADs can improve person-centered behavioral health support in New York.

The meeting brought together people affected by mental illness, peer supporters, CEOs and state leaders. Speakers included Ann Sullivan, commissioner for the NYS Office of Mental Health, and John Barbuto, NYS executive deputy commissioner of the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. Also participating were representatives from nonprofit organizations, peer support networks, law enforcement and provider associations focused on behavioral health services.

“The convening resulted in a collaborative discussion among individuals dedicated to the rights of individuals affected by mental illness,” says Peter Blanck, University Professor and chair of BBI. “Digital PADs align with a core mission of BBI to ensure that new technologies are available to people with disabilities.”

“Digital PADs are a rights document that speaks for the individual during a mental health crisis to others such as family and mental health specialists that the individual voluntarily chooses,” says Kiran Sahota, project director for , the first in the country.

BBI and its partners are planning follow-up discussions and convenings to advance the use of digital PADs in New York State, with the shared goal of building more responsive, equitable and person-centered systems of care.

Ready to recharge? Want to improve your health? Perform better? Prioritize your sleep.

Most college students operate on less than seven hours of sleep and that’s just not enough, says , director of counseling with the .

“We forget how essential sleep is to our functioning, our concentration, our physical well-being and our mental well-being,” Brown says. “It’s easy to forget that sleep is really important.”

For the long-term, the human brain isn’t fully formed until age 25, and sleep is one of the most powerful tools that helps support that development.

How much sleep is considered good? Seven to nine hours, Brown says.

How can you get there? The Barnes Center offers ample resources for students struggling to get a good night’s sleep.

“From access to the and other meditation and mindfulness tools to our and the , we’re committed to helping our students improve their sleep quality and help them sleep more,” Brown says.

Here are four things to know about good sleep habits and what to avoid.

Go to Sleep and Let Your Brain Do Its Job

Sleep is essential for the body to repair itself, and our cells grow and regenerate while we’re asleep.

Sleep is also when, in the brain, the hippocampus consolidates information, turning short-term moments into long-term memories. Give your brain a chance to cement all that studying and classroom knowledge.

“Getting deep, restorative sleep is so important for students because they’re doing a lot of academic work and they need to be sharp and focused,” Brown says. “If you start stacking nights of poor sleep, you’ll see poor health habits start to form.”

It can also lead to decreased concentration and focus and increased stress, hypertension, irritability, anxiety and depression.

Tip: Brown recommends students aim to fall asleep and wake up around the same time each day, to help develop and maintain the circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock.

Damaging Effects of Screens on Sleep

Whether it’s a cell phone, tablet, laptop or television, the screens we use emit a specific light that disrupts our ability to fall asleep by mimicking daylight and stimulating activity in the brain.

Brown says the blue light suppresses the body’s release of melatonin, which helps naturally prepare the body to fall asleep, and tricks the brain into a state of alertness.

Tip: She recommends getting off your phone or other screens at least 30 minutes and preferably one hour before bedtime, to allow the brain enough time to wind down.

Healthy Alternatives to Screen Time

Instead of scrolling on your phone, Brown suggests keeping a nightly journal, reflecting on the lessons from the day while creating a to-do list for the next day.

“That way, you get everything out of your mind before laying down for bed, and it won’t weigh on you as you fall asleep,” Brown says.

Tip: All University students have premium access to the , which features guided meditation, mindfulness and bedtime exercises and a library of soothing sleep sounds.

What are healthy alternatives to screens?

• Taking a warm bath before bed
• Practicing deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness exercises
• Washing your face with a calming lavender lotion or using pleasing fragrances
• Drinking herbal teas containing chamomile
• Reading a book with dim lighting

“The biggest key is getting yourself ready for sleep,” Brown says. “Having a nighttime routine is great because it helps you stack together good habits that will improve sleep quality.”

How the Barnes Center Can Help

Brown says the ability to sleep is closely intertwined with eating habits, which is why help students understand how diet and meal timing affect sleep quality.

Exercise is also connected. Brown says students who regularly engage in physical activity enjoy better sleep quality and are encouraged to connect with recreation staff and personal trainers.

Among the offered to support better sleep and rest habits:

• appointments with or to discuss care options;
• sessions tailored for students struggling with sleep difficulties;
• self-care activities, tools and resources through the Crowley Family MindSpa; and
• .

“People think you can catch up on sleep, but you really can’t reverse everything that happens to your body from constantly not sleeping well,” Brown says. “There’s no substitute for getting a good night’s sleep.”

The Barnes Center at The Arch, a national pioneer of student-focused holistic health and wellness, has been named to the . The Barnes Center is one of only 30 recipients of this prestigious nationwide award.

“Our starting catalysts of success began in 2019 with the grand opening of the Barnes Center alongside Syracuse University’s commitment to being a national leader in integrated wellness,” says Cory Wallack, Ph.D., associate vice president of student health and wellness.

“The Princeton Review naming us to the Mental Health Services Honor Roll and more importantly, doing so for our work in student-focused holistic wellness, proactive and preventative skill-building, in addition to cultivating a campus culture fueled to support wellness, is a wonderful recognition of the hard work everyone has contributed to support student wellness.”

The 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll is a celebration of undergraduate institutions for their exceptional dedication and commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. Through intentionally empowering students by placing them into the driver’s seat of their uniquely defined wellness journeys, coast-to-coast the Barnes Center has been established as a student experience success leader.

Uniting Wellness for Individualized Student Success

At the forefront of this honor is the recognition of the Barnes Center’s intentional and trailblazing work to implement an Integrated Wellness Model. This model intentionally weaves together Health Care, Counseling, Health Promotion and Recreation teams, services and programs, yielding countless student support success outcomes it continues to see accomplished.

“As a national leader our Integrated Wellness Model continues to be unique. While other campuses have integrated parts of these systems, Syracuse University is one of the only universities in the United States that has integrated services to the extent that we have,” Wallack says.

The Barnes Center is centrally located on campus and physically hosts the wellness team (Health Care, Counseling, Health Promotion and Recreation) under one sprawling roof. This shared location naturally creates and strengthens integration of student wellness experiences. At the Barnes Center, all are encouraged and empowered to “be well” in their own unique, ever-evolving wellness journey. In addition to integrating teams, this holistic wellness approach also intentionally encompasses mind, body, spirit and community.

The Princeton Review Names Barnes Center on 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll

The Princeton Review and partners selected honorees based on data from its 2025 Campus Mental Health Survey and those that have shown a strong commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. Recipients, such as the Barnes Center, scored highly in campus quality of life, overall well-being, student empowerment and education, offerings (e.g., services, programs and resources) and administrative support (e.g., policies, staffing).

“One of the key strengths of our campus is the intentional way we foster a quality of life that supports students’ overall well-being,” says .

Among the other criteria that supported the Barnes Center’s honor roll placement are:

• Authentic Holistic Wellness Approach: Demonstrated through a broad range of services integrating mental and physical health, emotional resilience, identity development and community connection.
• Proactive and Preventative Skill-Building: A strong emphasis on equipping students to navigate stress, conflict and transitions.
• Campus Culture Prioritizing Holistic Wellness: A united campus in the pursuit of student well-being and a community of care, supported by data-driven presentations and trainings for faculty, staff and students.

Shaping Tomorrow’s Wellness with the Data of Today

“To ensure that the Barnes Center remains responsive to students’ evolving needs, we pursue continuous assessment comprised of collaboration and adaptation. Ultimately, we strive to remain curious and connected to the student experience, adapting our approach as new needs emerge and ensuring that wellness remains welcoming and a shared community-wide responsibility,” Brown says.

For the dedicated Barnes Center health and wellness team, this honor is just one of many milestones to come in the evolving pursuit of defining student wellness on a national level. Fueling a future of success is the ongoing commitment to data-informed decision-making.

“Our ongoing commitment to utilizing data to inform integrated health and wellness programs and services is a priority,” says Veronica Whalen Jones, director of health promotion.

“In addition to tracking utilization, we are committed to assessing impact through program assessment and focus groups to ensure we are meeting the needs of the student community now and into the future.”

A significant expansion in structure, programming and community outreach  is paving the way for the (CHB) to help position Syracuse University as a national leader in research, education and practice.

An initiative of the (A&S), the and the (IVMF), CHB has a particular focus on the study and promotion of health, well-being and resilience among veterans and military-connected individuals.

Since launching its website and affiliate portal this past summer, have joined CHB—researchers, educators and clinical practitioners from across the University and from area health institutions. have been launched and the student research cohort has been formed.

CHB has hired a dedicated to support affiliate projects. It has also established a for staff who coordinate research initiatives and plans to implement student awards. Additional workshops and research showcases are scheduled for spring.

Building an Ecosystem

CHB is designed to advance translational health behavior research, education and training and provide a collaborative ecosystem for professionals working in the health behavior field, says , A&S professor of psychology, licensed clinical psychologist and CHB director.

Health behavior is a broad, interdisciplinary area that examines the many factors, choices and conditions that influence physical and mental health across the lifespan. The center’s purposeful cross-campus, cross-institutional structure makes it a hub for affiliates to share interests, findings and treatments and engage in academic and professional collaborations. Affiliates conduct basic laboratory studies, field research, clinical trials, digital health intervention work, qualitative studies and implement projects.

Veteran Focus

While CHB operates across a wide range of health behavior fields, a specialized focus on veterans and military-connected individuals complements the University’s commitment to that population, according to Ditre.

“Syracuse University has a national reputation as the best university for veterans and military-connected students. The University has worked with the Syracuse VA for about 30 years, beginning with faculty research collaborations and later expanding to co-mentored training and student placements. Building on that reputation and three decades of partnership, we should also strive to be the best place to learn how to serve veterans,” he says.

Veterans experience higher rates of suicide risk, trauma-related concerns, sleep problems, chronic health conditions and substance use compared to civilian peers. Many also face barriers tied to geography, stigma and complex transitions between military and civilian systems.

“These gaps have real consequences for individuals, families and communities. The University and this center, in collaboration with the IVMF, are uniquely positioned to address them,” Ditre says.

Digital Innovation

Digital innovation is a high priority because technologies like mobile devices, biometric monitoring and virtual reality help researchers collect real-time data from participants and capture their moment-to-moment experiences as well as indicators of health and behavior.

Affiliates have built mobile tools, tested them in trials and worked with community partners to implement check-in platforms and digital interventions that deliver guided exercises or personalized feedback.

“These tools let us reach people who may not engage with traditional services and connect with participants as they go about their daily routines or in settings where traditional care is harder to access. These technologies also help us understand behavior, tailor information to individual needs and deliver support in ways that fit people’s circumstances. For many of the populations we serve, this kind of flexibility is essential,” Ditre says.

Assuring health equity is another key focal point. That means designing studies and programs that are flexible, accessible and attentive to actual conditions and making sure that research benefits and outcomes reach the communities that need them most.

Grant and Award Applications

Application portals for the new pilot grant programs open Jan. 20, 2026, and close Feb. 12, 2026.

The supports cross-departmental and cross-campus projects with external institutional partners. The supports new or expanded Syracuse University and Veterans Affairs collaborations.

The grants range from $500 to $10,000 and the total pool of $50,000 is funded by A&S.

The funds give teams a way to test ideas, build a partnership or generate early data for larger external grant submissions. They also lower the barrier for new investigators who want to connect their work with campus priorities, according to Ditre.

Nominations for the , which cites excellence in research coordination work, are ongoing.

Future Activities

Future plans include more workshops with VA partners and collaboration with University Academic Affairs and the IVMF on a “Voices of Service” showcase where faculty, staff, students and community partners share veteran-focused research, courses and applied programs.

A neuroscience and health behavior research day, new working groups regarding sleep, substance use, trauma and digital health issues, awards for student work and additional community engagement activities are also planned.