Our Mission
Empowering young people on their weight management journey through themselves, their community, and society.
Our Vision
We envision young people who are empowered, active and confident in their healthy lifestyles and habits. We envision a community that is aware and supportive of these healthy endeavors. We envision a society that is empathetic and understanding towards the complexities of obesity and a world where the healthy choice isn’t necessarily the least accessible, most expensive, and most difficult decision.
Executive Team
Faith Anne Heeren, BA
Founder & President
My name is Faith Anne Heeren and I am the President and Founder of OCEANS. I am a third year Doctoral Student at the University of Florida in the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. My research interests include utilizing community-engaged research methods to develop and implement interventions that are acceptable and feasible for patients living with obesity. Soon, I will begin working on my dissertation, which will aim to identify pre-operative education needs for adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery.
If you are interested in reading more about my work as a graduate student, you can find my work here. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about OCEANS.
Aicha Kaouss
Vice President
My name is Aicha Kaouss and I am a senior at UNC Chapel Hill studying Biology. I enjoy playing lacrosse and going to the gym or on a run with friends, and my favorite healthy food is avacado toast! I believe that everyone has a unique story that makes them who they. So, I am passionate about working with an organization that provides an accepting environment for young people to share their experiences. As an aspiring healthcare professional, I am excited to work with OCEANS to educate against stigma and advocate for a community that is supportive of individuals' weight management journeys.
As the Vice President, I work on various projects related to bettering Socials programming for the adolescents in the program.
Reece Dawson, RD
Clinic Liaison
My name is Reece Dawson and I serve as the clinic liaison for Oceans Lifestyles. I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2022 and am now a Registered Dietitian. I have a passion for empowering others to achieve their goals. I got involved with OCEANS through an internship I completed, and knew instantly that the work of OCEANS could change lives. In my free time, I enjoy going to walks with dog and eating ice cream! As the Clinic Liaison I primarily work on fostering the relationship between the clinics and our organization.