PEER HEALTH EDUCATION
Mission Statement
Empowering students to commit to their health and wellness through peer education
What We Do
Our Peer Health Educators (PHEs) are essential in disseminating health & wellness information to the U of U campus community. We work within an area of wellness (i.e., sexual wellness, harm reduction, violence prevention, mental wellness) to develop and implement relevant programming for our peers. We collaborate in small and larger teams to create meaningful ways for students to think about their health and wellness. Some of these ways include:
- Facilitating educational workshops, discussions, and presentations
- Assisting with creation of health education marketing content
- Staffing mobile STI Testing Clinics
- Serving as a wellness resource for peers
- Participating in planning events and annual campaigns
PHE APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR OUR 2023 - 2024 TEAM
Are you looking for an exciting, rewarding paid student position?
The Center for Campus Wellness is recruiting for our 2023-2024 Peer Health Education team! Peer Health Educators are paid student staff for the office and will be tasked with facilitating workshops; staff our STI testing clinics and peer counseling; plan wellness events; assist with outreach, marketing, and tabling efforts; and so much more. This is a very special opportunity for students who are passionate about health and wellness to gain valuable experience in the field under the supervision of professional staff in our office. Majoring in a health-related is not a requirement. We are looking for passionate students who want to support their peers in improving their overall well-being through education, accessing services, and peer support. This position will begin in-person for Fall Semester with 10-12 hrs/week at $14/hour. *There is a mandatory Summer requirement of 25 hours of paid, self-paced virtual training.
Priority Deadline is Monday April 17th. We are conducting interviews before the end of the semester, so apply soon!
Apply to be a Peer Health Educator
MEET OUR PHEs
Diana Fierro
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Health & Kinesiology w/Emergency Medical Services Emphasis
What is one thing that brings you joy? Spending time with my chunky Boxer/Pitbull dog.
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I decided to become a PHE so I could advocate for student health and wellness. In this role, I can create a supportive environment for students. They can openly address less talked-about aspects of health and wellness, through different education opportunities and resources.
Kishan Thambu
Pronouns: He, him, his
Major: Computer Science
What is one thing that brings you joy? Everything I enjoy comes back to helping people. Working in the CCW and Youth Residential Treatment. Researching advanced computational psychiatry topics. It all boils down to making someone's life better on any scale. Whether it's supporting my parents, being there for my friends, or teaching a concept to my fellow classmates. Making somone smile or easing their burden is what truely fills me and makes me happy.
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I am passionate about creating a support system and providing resources to help students promote healthy practices. Not only for their mental well-being but also their sexual wellness, violence prevention, and harm reduction. As someone who formerly struggled with poorly managed mental health, I wish I had utilized the resources offered at the Center of Campus Wellness. Not only do I get personal joy from helping those in a mental state I have struggled with before, but I also get to tackle campus-wide safety and health issues that affect students. I truly believe that the CCW services and resources are relevant and effective in making sure all of my peers on campus are safe, educated, and having fun.
Julia Fierro
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Bachelor of Music with an Emphasis in Instrumental Performance and Music Theory
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I decided to become a PHE because I wanted to be a part of the essential work that the Center for Campus Wellness does to help its students here on campus. Helping my peers learn healthy habits through utilizing the resources offered through the U, is something I am extremely passionate about.
Share something you've learned during your time with the CCW. Through meeting new people and immersing myself in this program, I learned how essential reinforcing harm reduction practices in our community is and I hope and plan to carry these practices with me forever.
Hailee Fell
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Biology
What is one thing that brings you joy? Something that brings me joy is being around my family and friends and being able to truly be myself.
What is one of the Dimensions of Wellness you are working on and a healthy habit that helps in this area? I am working on having better emotional wellness. I often find myself stressed and overwhelmed or partaking in negative selftalk. Something I am actively doing to work on it is making lists, practicing mindfulness, and saying daily affirmations to myself.
Laura Chan
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Kinesiology
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I decided to become a PHE to bring awareness for the students about how to care for their own health and about the many resources they have for support.
What is one thing that brings you joy? What brings me joy is spending time with my family and friends!
Chels Bramwell
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Kinesiology/Wellness
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? As an advocate for wellness, knowledge, and attainable access to resources–all things the CCW represents; I knew I wanted to work for the CCW as soon as I learned of it during my orientation at the U. My attention was caught with: free and anonymous safer sex products and emergency contraception (that can even be delivered!), free HIV and STI testing, victim-survivor advocacy, a student recovery program, and workshops to further understanding of mental/sexual/physical/emotional health.
What is one of the Dimensions of Wellness you are working on and a healthy habit that helps in this area? Currently, my wellness journey is focused on physical wellness– specifically sleep health. As a non-traditional student with a full-time school schedule, full-time work schedule, and a pup, it takes specific efforts to mindfully show up and get things done. Sleep health plays a major role in my ability to do so. One of my favorite healthy habits to support my sleep health is called yoga nidra. Yoga Nidra is a simple style of meditation that anyone can do; with physical and emotional benefits (like lowering stress levels and acting as a sleep aid). A favorite yoga nidra practice of mine can be found for free on a mindfulness app called Insight Timer– “I AM Yoga Nidra: Illuminating The Body For Healing” via The Amrit Yoga Institute and led by Farrett La Valley (30 minutes). You can practice yoga nidra during the day and/or night. Yoga nidra is a beautiful tool for healthy body awareness, stress regulation, and promotion of healthy patterns in sleep.
Bella Pizzuto
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Criminology and Political Science
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I wanted to become a PHE because of my passion for Harm Reduction. I believe that harm reduction brings more love and understanding into our community. I love that our center is heavily focused on looking at topics through a harm-reduction lens.
What does peer education mean to you? Peer health education to me is an opportunity to share health information and values to our campus community. Peer health education allows for everyone to grow together.
Grace Emmons
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Psychology and Sociology
What is one thing that brings you joy? I love being outdoors in all seasons! It always helps me to unwind and relax whether it’s skiing, hiking, or visiting a national park.
What does peer education mean to you? I think peer education is about creating a space where students feel open to learning about wellness and harm reduction and also providing them with our mutual support and shared experience as fellow students.
Sandhya
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Major: Biology
Why did you decide to join the peer education program? I chose to become a peer health educator because I've seen firsthand the importance of promoting health awareness and prevention strategies to positively impact individuals' health and well-being. I believe that by empowering others with knowledge and resources, we can collectively work towards healthier and safer lifestyles. Whether it's talking about staying active, managing stress, facilitating discussions on health-related topics or just being a friendly ear to listen, I'm all in for making our campus a healthier and happier place to be!
What is one of the Dimensions of Wellness you are working on and a healthy habit that helps in this area?One of the dimensions of wellness that I am personally working on developing is the financial aspect. A healthy habit that helps me maintain my wellbeing in this area of life is to budget and track my expenses regularly. It helps me ensure that I'm living within my means, saving for the future, and avoiding unnecessary financial stress. And it also helps me to prioritize my financial goals!
ACES ALUM - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Our ACES Scholars graduate and continue on to do accomplish great things.
Check out our Student Alumni Network page here!