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The faces behind the initiative:
Mia Waters, PhD candidate -Zoology (she/her/hers)
President
Grad school can be a roller coaster of emotions and mental health ups and downs. Having a supportive community to ride along with you changes the experience entirely. I've also realized how important it is to design our roller coasters carefully, renovate as necessary, and build scaffolding that helps to increase strength, resiliency, safety, and enjoyment. Am I taking this metaphor too far? Probably. But I've been on my own wild ride, and I am passionate about supporting others on theirs!
I am an advocate for your wellbeing. Please feel free to stop by and chat with me (POND 224) or send me an email at wellness@biodiversity.ubc.ca
Lydia Fong, PhD candidate - Zoology
(she/her/hers)
Treasurer​
Entering grad school has meant a lot of big changes and having participated in the Wellness Initiative activities has really helped me keep myself grounded. This group has already done a lot of things for me and I want to give back in the best way that I can.
Katie Goodwin, PhD candidate - Botany
(she/her/hers)
Vice president
Life-work balance and mental health have been one of my top priorities throughout my time in grad school. The community building, mindfulness events, and resources that the wellness initiative offers have really helped me in both regards. I am excited to be contributing to the group and to help foster a sense of community and improve wellness amongst graduate students during covid/building construction.
Daniel Laronde, MSc Student - Zoology (he/him/his)
As a former residence advisor, I've seen first hand how much of a difference building a strong community can make. This can help combat a number of things, including mental illness and isolation, which just so happen to also be things that we see more in the graduate student population, including in myself. By joining, I hope to be able to facilitate community building and advocate for the holistic wellbeing of graduate students in our departments.
Nick Bard, PhD student - Botany
(he/him/his)
Media co-director and Botany Graduate Students Association Wellness Rep
The complexities of life don’t stop in graduate school. Thankfully, neither do life’s joyous moments. Often both are hurtled at you in nearly equal measure. I believe that we can all triumph through grad school’s inevitable challenges by taking good care of ourselves and looking out for each other. The Wellness Initiative puts these ideas into action, and I’m happy to be involved!
Rebecca Hansen, MSc Student - Zoology
(she/her/hers)
​Media co-director (Currently on hiatus)
Having watched friends go through grad school and now just starting to go through it myself, I want to make sure this experience is a positive one for all students. After attending my first Wellness Initiative (WI) event, I realized how much of a difference this open and thoughtful community can make in the lives of grad students. I’m excited to share and learn from other WI coordinators, and from everyone who participates in WI events!
Nathalie Chardon, Postdoctoral Fellow - Botany
(she/her/hers)
Postdoc representative
​Creating a supportive space for wellness discussions in academia, and normalizing these discussions, is vital for our success as scientists. Having gotten sick during graduate school due to too much stress, and poor management of it, has made me a major advocate of recognizing and acknowledging the many challenges that come with our academic lifestyles. I am so encouraged to see how events through this Wellness Initiative are helping us build community to cope with these challenges, and welcome everyone to join us!
Past members of the Wellness Initiative:
Haley Branch, Founder and President, 2019-2022
Stephanie Blain, Media director
Darwin Sodhi, Outreach coordinator
Amy Liu, Communications officer
Karen Thulasi Devendrakumar, Art events director
Ellen Nikelski, Vice president
Carla Di Filippo, Event coordinator
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