Meet Abigail! She is a 3rd year majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education. Aside from being a full time student, she also works for UCSB’s Health & Wellness. Some of her favorite ways to stay physically and mentally fit is through yoga and running.
What exactly is your position at the Health & Wellness center?
I am the Healthy Eating and Living Styles Co-coordinator. My job is to encourage and model healthy eating habits, positive body image, and to promote how to have fun in a healthy environment.
When did you decide to get involved with the Health & Wellness center? What inspired you to start working here?
I started my freshman year, and I really enjoyed it because I was had the opportunity to jump in and experience hands-on work with events, such as dog therapy day. Also, this organization is very fact based, and from that I learned so much about health and well-being. Because I fell in love with this organization and all the good it brings to others, I decided to apply as an intern to gain more inside experience, more hands-on work and to help plan events. I wanted to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle, and how to implement those habits into my own life.
What is your favorite part about working here? The most challenging part?
There are just so many reasons to love working here, I honestly love it all. I guess a more generic answer would be my co-workers because it’s always “all hands on deck” a lot of the time with them. If I ever needed help with anything, they would always offer to help in whatever way that they can. And a more non-generic answer would be that I love event planning and seeing ideas put in motion. They first start out as ideas from emails, meetings, google docs and calendars. As more planning goes on, I have the opportunity to witness and be a part of an idea, and watch the idea unfold from start to end, which is such an amazing feeling. Seeing the end result of an event is always my favorite part because that’s when you get to finally experience all the plans solidified and see how much happiness it brought to so many people.
The most challenging part of my job is getting everyone on the same page because our team often splits in many different directions. Thursday nights are the only times that we are all together, and the rest of the time we will only see each other as we’re passing by. So things can sometimes get mixed up due to a miscommunication.
What’s something you have learned working here?
This job has taught me so much. As an intern, I’ve witnessed how intentional the interns are about their plans and goals in order to have a fruitful event. This in return has taught me to be more intentional in what I do in my personal life.
What does the UCSB Health & Wellness program offer?
Some of our most popular events that we host is Dog Therapy Day and Free Anonymous HIV Testing. Another, is our IV outreach program, which happens twice a quarter. During this time, we hand out snacks and condoms, and set up a hydration station. One of our smaller projects are “Why the Fruit,” and we basically hand out free fresh and organic fruit from different locations around campus. Lastly, every Tuesdays and Fridays we host a community mindfulness practice. We invite a meditation facilitator to walk through a 15 minute meditation, and basically talks about finding peace in the midst of the craziness of a college career. Are there any upcoming events with Health & Wellness center?
The month of February is actually jam-packed with events. This month so happens to be Random Acts of Kindness month. Also, taking place this Valentine’s Day, we will be having Free Anonymous HIV testing. Then, from the February 27th- March 3rd we will be celebrating National Eating Disorder Awareness week. Through this event, we hope to bring awareness to eating disorders and teach people how to talk about them in order to break the stigma.
Can you tell us more about the upcoming event you have been planning, National Eating Disorder Awareness Week?
The topic of eating disorders is a very sensitive subject and is a self silent struggle. The goal of that week is to start the conversation about the issue. This can be done simply by genuinely asking friends “how are you?” That week, we will be tabling at the Arbor and will be collaborating with different on-campus organizations such as CAPS, Active Minds, and the Healthy Asian American Pacific Islander group to advocate and bring awareness about eating disorders. One of the ways we plan to get the conversation is started is ask people “why are they proud to be who they are?” It’s a way for people build confidence and spread self-love. Our main focus is to get the word out, and to encourage people to talk at the issue and ultimately break the stigma.
Generally speaking, people are afraid to be judged for “getting help”, especially when it comes to health & wellness. What are some ways we can destigmatize this notion?
First of all, I think you are right, and this is because no one wants to be judged or seen differently. With these events, my hope is to show people that you shouldn’t be ashamed of your struggles. And to remember that you are still you in spite of your struggles because they do not define you. Also, I just want stress how important is to seek help in its early stages. No one will seek help unless they’re ready to get fixed. We are all so unique and there’s no shame in asking for help because people are always willing to help and this a judgement free zone. This gives people the opportunity to embrace who they are and seek the help they need.