{"id":2672,"date":"2024-11-01T11:12:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T18:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=2672"},"modified":"2024-11-01T11:12:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T18:12:34","slug":"levi-daniels-honors-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/levi-daniels-honors-college\/","title":{"rendered":"From South Africa, online honors student uses innovative life coaching models to help teens flourish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Levi Daniels pairs Oregon State psychology studies and research with a passion for helping youths develop lasting skills<\/h2>\n
Editor’s note:<\/strong> This article was originally published by the Oregon State University Honors College<\/a>.<\/div>\n

One of the core values of the Honors College is that\u00a0success is not accidental<\/span><\/a> \u2014 it requires flexible thinking, accurate assessments of what works and what doesn\u2019t and a desire to relentlessly and continuously improve. Oregon State University Ecampus postbaccalaureate honors student Levi Daniels models this belief in his work and research, which empower success for the next generation by fostering self-efficacy and resilience in teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a teen life coach by trade,\u201d Levi explains. \u201cI equip youth with mental mastery tools so that they can be more resilient and ultimately flourish amidst the many life pressures they experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levi is preparing a related honors thesis exploring \u201cthe effects of self-development mobile application on youth’s self-efficacy, resilience and well-being\u201d under the mentorship of the 2024 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College Eminent Mentor, Dr. Regan Gurung, a professor of psychology and director of the general psychology program at Oregon State.<\/p>\n

After growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, Levi studied in Chicago, Illinois, where he earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with the goal of becoming a physician. But, \u201cwhilst in my final year of studying,\u201d Levi writes on his website<\/span><\/a>, \u201cmy mental health nose-dived. Right after graduating, I returned to Cape Town for 4 months of rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through this experience and the years that followed, Levi has come to realize that \u201cliving a healthy, fulfilling, meaningful life requires a deep commitment to learning about and living into the fullness of our identities, especially as they evolve, so that we can have integrity within ourselves:\u202fall\u202fthe parts of ourselves. Only then can we participate in deep connection with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

“<\/span>I was drawn to OSU by its strong psychology program and relative affordability. I also wanted to do research within my field of work, and through my thesis, the Honors College empowers me to do exactly that.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic closely followed his return to South Africa, pushing Levi to explore different areas of his strengths and interests as he searched for a line of work he could enter without a full medical degree. \u201cIt was around then I realized that I’m quite good at teaching,\u201d he reflects. \u201cSo, I began tutoring local high school students.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I worked with them, I began to realize that most were struggling with things beyond the subject content. I commonly saw students putting excessive pressure on themselves and struggling with poor self-esteem. So we started to work on those issues in our sessions,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd suddenly, I\u2019d get phone calls from parents reporting positive changes in their teens\u2019 behavior. Like, \u2018They\u2019re doing the dishes now,\u2019 or, \u2018They\u2019re getting up early to run!\u2019 At this point I realized I was no longer simply tutoring. Intuitively, I had begun life coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

This realization gave way to Levi\u2019s current educational and career path, which led him first to become certified as a life coach and start a\u00a0small online educational business<\/span><\/a> and then to OSU, where his honors thesis and postbaccalaureate online studies in psychology are underway. Levi thanks the Honors College and Oregon State Ecampus for supporting his vision to help teens flourish by enabling him to gain skills and research experience in psychology while he continues his business in South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"A

Oregon State psychology honors student Levi Daniels leads a workshop for educational leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, titled “Helping Teens Move from Surviving to Thriving.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was drawn to OSU by its strong psychology program<\/a> and relative affordability,\u201d Levi says. \u201cI also wanted to do research within my field of work, and through my thesis, the Honors College empowers me to do exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his business, Levi teaches struggling teens to \u201cuse the challenges of academics as opportunities for learning, growth and building resilience.\u201d In his own work and in stories from family members teaching in under-resourced schools, Levi observes that many students \u201ccan do the work, they just don\u2019t see the point.\u201d They are bombarded with messaging about who they should be, while internally they experience insecurity and fear of failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the teens who could really benefit from life coaching,\u201d Levi emphasizes, but notes that life coaching is typically an expensive, exclusive service.<\/p>\n

Levi\u2019s research supports his vision to create accessible and affordable interventions by exploring the effectiveness of mobile life coaching applications for youth. \u201cA digital service could be lower-cost, scalable and capable of leveraging artificial intelligence alongside live coaching,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Integrating live coaching into a mobile app distinguishes his idea from AI coaches already on the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen an app that\u2019s non-generic, develops a long-lasting relationship or works in conjunction with an actual coach,\u201d Levi says. \u201cAI is great for some things, like reminders aiding in breaking or building habits. But it can\u2019t empathize effectively or know you from the inside out.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Levi, it\u2019s what\u2019s inside that harbors the impetus and the origin of self-change. \u201cI tell my students, \u2018By virtue of being a human, you are a miracle. You are enough. You are a gift. Now let\u2019s develop you so that you can contribute to whatever change you want to see in the world.\u2019 That\u2019s how teens develop internally motivated and validated self-worth and self-esteem.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the long term, Levi envisions a scalable, digital, AI-human coaching hybrid capable of reaching teens globally. Looking at next steps, he says, \u201cI\u2019m hoping to get into a competitive graduate school program for industrial\/organizational psychology, clinical psychology, or something like Stanford\u2019s dual MA\/MBA, where I can develop the skills necessary to scale a mobile intervention of this size and get it to market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levi has helped Oregon State work toward its vision of reaching a wider online student population by advocating for improved access to Ecampus opportunities and funding.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAnother awesome benefit of the Honors College is that it connected me with the\u00a0National and Global Scholarships Office<\/span><\/a>,\u201d he says, \u201cwhere I\u2019m receiving personalized support on my application for the Knight-Hennessey Scholars program at Stanford University.\u201d\u00a0Knight-Hennessey Scholars<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a program that prepares Stanford graduate students \u201cto be visionary, courageous and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

As one of the first students in the Honors College Ecampus program<\/a>, Levi has helped Oregon State work toward its vision of reaching a wider online student population by advocating for improved access to Ecampus opportunities and funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m part of the Ecampus Student Advisory Board<\/a>,\u201d shares Levi. \u201cIn a meeting, I voiced the observation that Ecampus students, particularly international students, don\u2019t have the same funding opportunities as on-campus or U.S. resident students. Within a month, Ecampus staff were following up and organizing meetings to address this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levi says he was impressed by the Ecampus team\u2019s attentiveness and expediency. He also notes that this move is especially important for Ecampus expansion, because \u201cto do that,\u201d he says, \u201cthe program will need to cater to a more diversified population \u2014 including more international students like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a pioneering member of the Honors College Ecampus population, a researcher, a life coach, an entrepreneur and a small business owner, Levi demonstrates the fundamental practice that he teaches: an ongoing commitment to learning about and living into the fullness of his identities and potential.<\/p>\n

While he maintains that he didn\u2019t \u201cchoose\u201d his life coaching path \u2014 \u201cit just followed me around,\u201d he says \u2014 his present achievements and future ambitions both reflect what the Honors College holds true about success. The Honors College believes that successfully making a difference never happens by accident, even if it comes about through different means than once planned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 5<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Levi Daniels pairs Oregon State psychology studies and research with a passion for helping youths develop lasting skills Editor’s note: This article was originally published by the Oregon State University Honors College. One of the core values of the Honors College is that\u00a0success is not accidental \u2014 it requires flexible thinking, accurate assessments of what … From South Africa, online honors student uses innovative life coaching models to help teens flourish<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":2674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,677,8],"tags":[660,96],"class_list":["post-2672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-honors-college","tag-psychology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Levi-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-H6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1716,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/best-online-psychology-degree\/","url_meta":{"origin":2672,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State online psychology bachelor\u2019s degree ranked #1 in the U.S.","author":"Ecampus News","date":"January 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University\u2019s expertise in delivering a liberal arts education online is well-documented, and now that reputation has been bolstered even further \u2014 thanks to U.S. News & World Report ranking OSU No. 2 on its list of Best Online Bachelor\u2019s in Psychology Programs for the second straight year.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Woman taking notes on clipboard while talking to a young child.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/ug-psychology-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2244,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/first-online-honors-degree\/","url_meta":{"origin":2672,"position":1},"title":"Oregon State University unveils one of the world’s first online honors degree options","author":"Gary Dulude","date":"March 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University\u2019s nationally ranked online undergraduate programs are about to add a new distinction. 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